Reason And Love Are Sworn Enemies
by Lenners
Summary: There are just some things that you can’t share without liking each other... Lily/James ship
1. Chapter 1: Believing is Seeing

**A/N: Hey everyone! This is my first story, and I would appreciate if you would R/R. I'd like to apologize for my future mess-ups, for I may not have time to update as much as I would like to until my activities have been reduced, even on my first day of school, I won't be home until 10 PM. Sundays are my only off days at the moment. Now here's my first fan fiction ever!(:**

**Enjoy!**

I'm going to have to see it to believe it

Lily Evans was sitting in the Head's compartment, straightening her Head Girl badge, and waiting for the new Head Boy to arrive. She was hoping it was going to be her friend, Remus Lupin, but when she asked, he had said that he didn't get the badge, but he hinted a fellow Gryffindor did. She couldn't even consider Sirius Black or James Potter could get it; they caused too much trouble, and she highly doubted Peter Pettigrew got it either, so she was guessing it was Frank Longbottom, the only other Gryffindor guy left.

The door opened behind her and Lily turned around to see nothing but the Head Boy badge, and she looked up to see no one other then James Potter. Her heart sunk and mouth imitated a perfect "O".

"Missed me, Evans?" James Potter asked, hazel eyes sparkling.

Lily closed her mouth and muttered, "Why did Dumbledore do this to me?"

"Oh c'mon, Evans, I'm not that bad," James said, showing mock sadness.

Lily opened her mouth to retort but closed it quickly as all the other prefects have entered. Remus Lupin walked in last, and smiled at both of them, Lily wanted to shoot daggers back.

"So, Lilykins and I," James started, but changed his speech as Lily narrowed her eyes at him, "Lily, sorry, and I are the new heads this year, and err, I didn't exactly prepare anything else to say, so popcorn Lily!"

Lily first shot an annoyed look at James, but began talking, "As Potter just said, we are the Heads this year, and I, unlike him prepared for this," Lily shot another annoyed look at James Potter, "Here are the new passwords for the common rooms, fifth year prefects will lead the first years to the common room, and please make them feel welcome. Here also are the patrolling schedules, they will automatically change when me or," she winced, "Potter write on our copy. That's all for now, but we will meet next month to set-up a Hogsmeade visit, so you can go now." Lily finished lamely.

All the prefects besides Remus filed out, and the three of them were left in the compartment, they all sat in silence for a few moment before Remus was the first to talk, "So, Lily, didn't I hint that a fellow Gryffindor had the badge?"

Lily glared, and answered, "Yes, but I was under the impression it was Frank Longbottom; now if you don't mind, I'll be leaving to find my friends." And she walked out without hearing another word.

P A G E B R E A K (:

"You will not believe who is the Head Boy!" Lily exclaimed as she slammed the compartment door shut.

"I'm guessing from the red in your face it's none other then James Potter," answered Alice Prewett smiling.

"You have got to be kidding! Aw! Lils I'm so sorry!" Mary apologized.

This is usually how her two best friends usually acted like, Alice being sarcastic and annoying, and Mary being sincere and apologetic, even though things were never her fault. They were her two best friends in the whole wide world, through thick and thin.

Lily scowled, but answered, "Yes, James Potter, and he is such an arse!!"

Her friends listened to her rant and rave till she was blue in the face, and Lily automatically felt better. How did she ever survive without them? Lily started to space out as her friends started gossiping and talking.

This was the beginning of her seventh year, and her last year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It would extremely difficult considering N.E.W.T.'s would be coming up at the end of the year.

_Better then it was going to Petunia's wedding… _Lily thought to herself. _I don't know what she sees in the walrus of a man, but I'm still happy for her…Not ever was Petunia happy for me though,_ Lily thought viciously.

"So, Lily what did you do the first weeks of summer?" asked Mary, interrupting Lily's thoughts.

"I had Petunia's wedding, remember?" Lily answered, with only a little trace of poison in her voice.

"Ah, yeah, I remember now! You said it was the most awful wedding you've been to," said Lily's other best friend, Alice Prewett.

Lily snorted, "Yeah, her dress was covered in feathers..." she said cracking a smile.

"Good afternoon ladies!" boomed Sirius Black as he walked into their compartment, "Mary, Alice," he said, bowing to both of them, "Lilyflower!" he exclaimed, opening his hands toward Lily, as if he looked like he wanted a hug.

"Why are you here, Black?" Lily asked straightforward, ignoring his gesture.

"What? I can't come and visit my fellow Gryffindors?" asked Sirius, with mock surprise.

Lily glared at him with her intense emerald eyes and answered, "Since when have you just liked to visit us?"

"Since Lisa Lewson has a hard slap," Sirius answered as if he was commenting on the nice weather outside.

"So, you told her you were cheating on her with not one, but two of her dorm-mates?" Alice asked with interest.

"Yeah, I got bored of her anyways."

"Sirius, you are such a pig," Lily pointed out.

Sirius barked out a laugh, "Thanks, Lilyflower; you know how to always compliment a man."

Lily glared in response. "Leave, Black. I don't want all the marauders attracting in here."

But surely enough, as soon as Lily finished her sentence, the remaining marauders burst in, James Potter in the lead.

"Hey Evans!" said James as his hazel eyes lit up with excitement, "Mary, Alice, nice to see you yet again," James added in after moment's pause.

"Oh, psh, he only has eyes for Lily," Alice whispered to Mary, who started to giggle.

"What are you laughing at?" Lily asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Nothing!" chorused Alice and Mary at the same time, Alice's big brown eyes widening in mock innocence, and Mary's bright blue ones brimmed with tears of laughter. Lily rolled her eyes at the obvious lie, but let it go.

"So, Evans…" James began, but Lily cut him off.

"What pick-up line are you going to use this time Potter?"

"None," James answered smugly, "I was just going to ask what you did over the summer, but it's got to be a positive that you're thinking about me and my pick up lines."

"I hate you, Potter," said Lily in a matter-of-fact voice.

"You know what they say about hate, Evans. They say it's a very _passionate_ emotion," said James, positively beaming now, "You're having _passionate _thoughts about me right now."

"Yeah, too bad I'm thinking passionate murder; your idea of passionate will never happen," Lily retorted.

"I wouldn't be too sure, Lilykins," said James, putting his arm around her shoulder.

"Buzz off Potter," Lily said as she shrugged off his arm off, she quickly stood up and turned to the direction of Remus Lupin, "Remus, we have to patrol the train soon, should we leave now?"

"Yes, I think it's a good idea to leave now, before you slap James," Remus answered. As soon as they were out of the compartment, Lily noticed Remus' sickly color and weight loss.

"Remus, are you okay?" she asked, "Is the full moon coming?" She'd known that Remus Lupin was a werewolf, since their 5th year, she really started putting the lunar cycles and his "sick days" together.

"Yeah, in two days, but Lily?" Remus asked.

"Yes?" Lily answered.

"Thanks for caring, and not telling everyone," Remus said quietly.

"Oh, Remus, it's okay, it's not as bad as you think though, none of the Gryffindors will judge you," Lily said.

Remus snorted, "Haha! You make my Lycanthropy seem like such a little detail, you know that's just like James…"

"No. Just no, Remus, he is the world's biggest arse, and I will not give him a chance," Lily said simply.

Remus sighed, "But, Lily, he's changed, he's not so arrogant, he rarely even hexes Severus anymore, he's _changed,_" Remus said emphasizing on the word hanged.

Lily narrowed her eyes at him and responded, "I am not going to go out with James Potter."

Remus sighed, and gave up, "So how was your summer? Did Petunia give you hell still?"

"Yeah, she just didn't talk to me though this year, but she married a complete walrus, fatter then Slughorn!" she said cracking a smile.

Remus chuckled and asked, "I thought you liked Slughorn?"

"Yes, I do, just not his physique," Lily answered.

Remus laughed again and asked another question, "So what subjects are you taking this year?"

"Potions, Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Ancient Runes," Lily answered, "What are you taking?"

"All the same, again," Remus answered, "Are you still thinking of becoming a Healer?"

"Yes, and you're still undecided?" said Lily.

"Yeah, but you know all the Marauders, except Peter, are taking all the same classes…Including James," Remus added a tiny bit on emphasis on James's name.

Lily just rolled her eyes, and said, "Yeah so are Alice and Mary, so I won't have to be tortured."

The train's whistle blew, signaling that the train was nearly into the Hogsmeade Village.

"Let's go back into the compartment, the train's nearly there," said Remus.

"Ah, I don't want to face Potter, but hey, maybe you're right, maybe he actually did change," said Lily, but she added, "But, I'm going to have to see it to believe it."

Remus just smiled and nodded, and mentally patted himself on the back.


	2. Chapter 2: The Last Beginning Feast

**A/N: Hey! Thanks Fringal and BettyCrocker reviewing my story, now, without futher ado, here is chapter two(:**

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor do I pretend to.

Last Beginning Feast

"Welcome students, new and old, back to our wonderful school! Now before we eat, I need to make a long, painful speech about Flitch's list of non-allowed items," Dumbledore said seriously while unfolding an extremely long piece of parchment. Flitch looked gleeful and excited, while all the Marauders groaned, many of the other students joined in. Dumbledore chuckled, made the long parchment disappear and snapped his fingers to summon the food.

"He was joking?" Peter Pettigrew asked.

"No Wormtail, this is invisible food that we can't eat till Dumbledore finishes listing all the prohibited items," Sirius said sarcastically while taking a huge bite out of a chicken leg.

"Oh," said Wormtail, putting the food down. James smacked him in the back of his head, and rolled his eyes.

"So, you guys ready for the prank? When are we setting them off?" James said as Remus sighed.

Sirius excitedly answered, "I think we should set them off right as Dumbledore finishes his speech. It'll be later then usual, and people will worry."

"Actually, Padfoot, that's a pretty good idea," Remus complimented Sirius, who in turn grinned, with a mouthful of chicken showing.

"Black, could you swallow like a normal human?" Lily asked, eyeing Sirius's mouth.

"Face it Lily, I'm handsome even with a mouthful of chewed chicken," Sirius said cockily. Lily snorted at him, but all the same let it go with muttering, "Ignorant toerag."

They ate without problem, but the other students were looking at the Marauders expectantly, waiting for the beginning of the year pranks, but it never came. People started whispering and worrying that the Marauders' pranks would not continue this year, because James Potter was Head Boy.

Boy, we they wrong.

_THIS IS ANOTHER PAGE BREAK(: [IT'S SO MUCH RIGHT NOW, IT'S LIKE A WALL OF WATER!]_

All the Marauders were determined to make their seventh year full of pranks; it would be the ending of the most famous era of troublemakers. They were going to use James's power to get them out of trouble, and to pull better pranks. As Dumbledore stood up, the whole crowd of students hushed and listened for the Headmaster.

"Ah, I hope you rather enjoyed this meal, but I was quite surprised it was uneventful," Dumbledore said, eyeing the Marauders who winked, Dumbledore chuckled in response. "Flitch has asked me to explain that there are 189 items on the prohibited list, and to see it, visit Flitch office. Also, first years keep in mind that the Forest is prohibited, and some of our older students need to keep that in mind also," he finished, looking at the Marauders, who again acknowledged them, but this time by waving.

"Now for more serious matters… I know most of you have heard of an evil wizard that is taking power, his name is Lord Voldemort," a shudder issued through a majority of the crowd, but not to the Marauders or Lily. But on the Slytherin side of the Great Hall, many looked enraged or amused.

"If you suspect any strange going-ons, I highly suggest you talk to a teacher, or to myself, or even to the new Heads, Lily Evans and James Potter. But let's not dwell onto dangerous matters unless needed; now off you go to bed."

The Marauders all grinned and gave each other the thumbs up. In seconds' time, the whole Great Hall erupted in colorful and extremely large fireworks that while the Marauder's voices, magically loudened said, "Did you think we could miss the beginning of the year prank? Guess again, we're still here, and better then ever…Expect many pranks…Be afraid, very afraid. Love, The Marauders."

The whole school, except the Slytherins, cheered and clapped toward the Marauders who were now standing on the table bowing. James was the first to hop down, and say, "Lily, don't forget we need to visit Dumbledore's Office now," he paused "Do you want to walk with me?" James asked politely (he had gotten the idea from Remus).

Lily, in return look shocked, but nonetheless saw Remus showing the thumbs up to her, "Yes, I let's head up there now." James looked pleased with himself that he actually lasted more then 5 minutes without Lily yelling at him. As the walked up the stairs, James ruffled his hair, a nervous habit he picked up accidentally.

"Do you want to take a shortcut up there, it'll be a lot faster," James promised.

"Yeah, I'm bushed, I want to get to sleep soon," Lily answered. James pulled away a tapestry of a meadow, which showed a lot of stairs going up, Lily groaned.

"You know I can carry you up the stairs, if you like," James suggested, but he knew he'd push his luck too far.

Lily rolled her eyes and said, "What, do you think I'm one of your fan girls, who will be swept off my feet by you?" she snorted and ran up the stairs.

_So much for the politeness Remus told me to try,_ James thought to himself. They reached to the top of the stairs in record time, but Lily was catching her breath.

"I told you I could carry you," James said cockily as they were outside Dumbledore's office.

"James Potter! You complete arse! I am not some pathetic fan girl, and I will not let you carry me!" Lily screamed, she then in a normal voice, "Licorice Wands." The hidden staircase showed itself and Lily and James climbed up.

"Goodevening Ms. Evans and Mr. Potter, I think I could have heard you a mile away though." Lily looked abashed as Dumbledore chuckled. "Now you may be wondering why I have made you Heads, well, Mr. Potter, you may be wondering." James cracked a smile and nodded.

"Well, you know the evil wizard, Lord Voldemort is gaining power, and there is no doubt in my mind that he wants to take over the school in the future," Dumbledore paused, looking at Lily and James's shocked faces, "But, never have I lost the school yet, and I will use all my power to keep it in control, but I picked you two as Heads because I thought you two were the most likely to help me keep the school under control."

James's and Lily's shocked faces turned into determined faces now, and they both nodded, "It's in your power to plan a bash this year, and to plan Hogsmeade trips. You can always find me here, but one last thing before we say good night, I need my two heads working together, so would you be willing to try to something?"

"Sure professor," James answered, smiling, Lily looked nervous, but still nodded a silent yes. James noticed that Lily hasn't said a single word as soon as they stepped in Dumbledore's office.

"Good, good," Dumbledore said smiling; he took out his wand and said, "Please put out an arm in front of you, either or it doesn't matter."

James put his left and Lily her right. Dumbledore waved his wand and a white chain fastened itself around both wrists. Lily looked up, wide-eyed. "Sir, these can't be- how are we going to" Lily kept on interrupting herself, while James looked at the handcuffs wide-mouthed, and plainly said, "How are we supposed to get this off?"

"The handcuffs will separate you two again when a mutual good feeling is between both of you, which means cooperation," Dumbledore answered, smiling, he added, "Now go to bed, both of you, there's a weekend before classes start, the Head dorms are behind the picture of the Drunk Monks on the seventh floor, the password is 'Unity', good night."

James and Lily headed down the stairs, both in a daze, but for separate reasons. Lily was extremely angry while James couldn't believe his luck. Lily was walking faster then James and pulling his arm, she snapped, "Walk faster, could you?"

"Lily, we need to have a mutual feeling for each other, and you yelling at me will not make it better," James said reasonably.

"Yeah, well, I'll deal with this in the morning, I just want to go to sleep," Lily answered, still harsh, but not as rude as before.

They approached the picture and James said unity to get into the head dorms. The common room had the same set-up as the Gryffindor common room did, with scarlet hanging, a big fireplace, and big squashy armchairs. "It's cozy," James commented.

"How are we going to sleep like this?" Lily asked, pulling the handcuffs up, pulling James' hand up.

James shrugged and said, "I'm not sure, I'm guessing we're going to have to sleep in the same bed until these disappear."

Lily inhaled sharply, and said, "You better not try anything, Potter, or I will damage your dreams of having any kids."

James actually looked angry at this and nearly hissed, "I don't take advantage of girls like that Evans. I don't know who you're confusing me as, but I'm not like I was, and even back then I never took advantage of a girl. I'm only asking you to give me a chance, to show you I've changed, but you keep on storming off on me, but now, we're stuck until you do."

Lily looked taken aback and she would have stormed off like he said, if it wasn't for the handcuffs, but she merely narrowed her eyes and said, "Sorry for offending, Potter, you're right, we need to work this out, but not now, how about in the morning?" Lily asked.

James looked shocked at how quickly she changed her emotions, but nodded all the same and said, "All right, where do you want to sleep tonight? I don't care."

Lily thought for a second and said, "Well, let's look at both rooms and see what the look like first."

They both walked to the end of the common room and saw on one door it said, Lily Evans, and across it said James Potter, he motioned to go into her room at first, and they opened the door. It was exactly remodeled like her dormitory in Gryffindor tower, but her bed was twice the size. They next went into James's room and it nearly looked exactly the same, just more boyish. Lily was the first to break the silence and said, "Let's just sleep in here tonight; I could pass out on the floor."

James nodded, then looked like he was right on the verge of giving bad news, "Okay, but Lily, I have to pee."

She blanched, and said, "This handcuffs are going to be a major problem, I should probably go too."

They walked over to the bathroom, and Lily went first, and said, "If you will look, I will make sure you'll never see anything out of your eyes again." James just turned the other way, then the switched and James said jokingly, "Okay, well you can look, if you want." Lily just shuddered and turned to face the wall.

They were back into the bedroom, now facing a different challenge, getting dressed; Lily didn't even want to think of showering tomorrow morning.

It was pretty easily, the clothes could be put on through the cuffs, so it wasn't impossible to get the arms through.

"Now can we get to sleep?" Lily asked, as James finished getting dressed.

"Yeah," he said jumping onto the bed, dragging Lily on too, she screamed as she flew in the air, but laughed once she hit the springs. They situated themselves and quietly fell asleep. James still couldn't believe his luck as he saw Lily's peaceful face sleeping, with her vivid red hair spread out around her pillow, James sighed and thought to himself, _I could get used to this…_

And with that last thought, he drifted out in to a peaceful sleep.

**A/N continued: Don't forget to R/R! I have flippin' diving at 7-11, then gymnastics right after till 4, then band right after ****that**** till 9-ish. I'm halfway through Chapter 3 right now, and I'll try to get it up by Wednesday-ish; sorry if I don't get it up though!**


	3. Chapter 3: First Moment

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, only this story plot.

**Apologies/excuses at the end!**

Chapter 3-

First Moment

James was woken up peacefully, the sun was shining and Lily Evans was in bed with him…

_Wait, what??_ James thought to himself. He then recollected last night events, and looked at the peacefully sleeping redheaded girl.

She had light porcelain skin, with freckles splattered across her face. She had a ski sloped nose, and full lips. James still thought she was the most beautiful women he has ever sen. He then noticed how awfully close she was to him, as they were in close embrace. James lay on his back when his arms around Lily, while her head rest on his chest. James knew that Lily would take this horribly; probably ending in a slap, so James, even though his instincts screamed in protest, tried to untangle himself without waking up Lily, to be in a much more suitable sleeping position.

Lily sighed contently, and fluttered her eyes open as James was moving himself. She blinked a couple times and said sleepily, "James?"

James was pleasantly shocked she used his first name instead of his surname as always, "Yes Lily?" She only groaned in response, James seemed shocked that he already so early in the day annoyed her, he asked, "What?"

"I don't like to wake up," she said simply, trying to go back to sleep.

James chuckled, relieved, and replied, "Well, Lily, we have to get up sometime, and it's already ten in the morning." Lily just yawned and sighed.

"Well, I suppose you need to eat something too, so I guess I'll get up," Lily said, trying, but failing to stifle a yawn.

At the same moment Lily finished her sentence, as if on cue, James' stomach decided to growl. They both laughed, and ending up looking at each other in the eyes. James' heart soared as his hazel eyes connected into the emerald orbs which had been softened by sleep. Lily's stomach churned with butterflies, but looked away. An awkward silence filled the room.

_She __must__ have felt that, it was a moment, it had felt so right,_ James thought in his head. Lily pondered herself what had just happened.

_Did I just have a __moment__ with James Potter? No, I __could not__ have a moment with him, _but the little voice in the back of her head had argued, _Maybe Remus was right; maybe he really did change…_

James cleared his throat, disturbing the silence, "Err, should we freshen up before we head to breakfast?" Lily flushed, but silently nodded.

They respectfully took showers; Lily had again threatened James blindness.

"You know what's lucky?" James asked as they walked out of the Head's Dorm, and started to head down the hallway to the Great Hall for breakfast, Lily just raised her eyebrows in response. "That we have our wand hands free," he finished lamely under Lily's stare.

Lily laughed and said, "I thought you thought of another pick-up line about this," she lifted up her right hand and James's left, "…situation."

It was James' turn to raise his eyebrows as he said, "Lily, I decided that me asking you out everyday will not help me woo you over."

Lily studied him as if inspecting his face for lies, but as she saw only sincerity in his face she answered, "Wow James, that's actually very mature, and I really appreciate that. But you know what realization I came up with, last night?" Lily didn't wait for James' answer; she just looked in front of her and responded, "Only hate would get us into this type of situation. And I don't really want to hate you anymore; can we agree to be friends?"

"Of course we can, I'd love to be your friend, Lily," James answered, smiling. The truth was that he was dying inside knowing that Lily would only see him as a friend, but he would have to just live with it.

Lily laughed and said, "Look at everyone's shocked faces, we're actually walking down a hallway together without screaming at each other."

James looked around and acknowledged all the students around and laughed along with Lily. She was right; all the students passing wore completely shocked faces that their Heads were getting along. The first years were easily noticeable, as their confused faces stood out from the shocked, for they had never seen Lily and James fight.

If the people in the hallway were shocked, words would not explain their friends when they walked into the Great Hall together, not to mention the close proximity due to the new enchanted handcuffs.

Mary and Alice opened their mouths in shock; Remus looked happy and pleased with himself while the rest of the Marauders mirrored the reactions of Lily's best friends.

"Hey guys," Lily said normally, not seeing their strange reactions. Alice just raised her eyebrows and looked at James; Mary still was in a state of shock; Sirius started grinning like a madman, as Remus was; Peter just looked confused. "Oh, we're handcuffed together," Lily started, "Dumbledore did it so we could cooperate better," she added as she saw the still confused faces on her friends.

James lifted up his left hand, which in turn, brought Lily's right up also.

"How are you supposed to get those things off?" Mary asked her eyes full of sympathy towards Lily.

"We need to reach a mutual good feeling towards each other," James said eyeing Sirius and Remus, for their grins still haven't left their faces. After James had finished his sentence, Sirius and Remus were now whispering towards each other. Now both of Lily's best friends were giving her looks full of sympathy.

"Oh, I thought you finally got her to agree to go out with you!" Peter said excitedly. James smacked him upside the head as James's ears burned with embarrassment. Lily also flushed too, and turned away from the Marauders to talk to her friends.

"So, what are we doing today?" James asked.

"Probably spending it with Lily and her friends, seeing as you guys are stuck to each other," Sirius said, laughing at the end of his sentence. All the seventh year Gryffindors finished their breakfast, and wandered out to the lake to catch one of the last summer rays. James couldn't stop thinking about Lily… How right it felt to have her in his arms, how electrifying it was to look into each other's eyes, how it felt to be next to her. Lily tried to keep the conversations with her friends, but her mind kept on playing the moment she had with James. She wasn't angry with him, at the moment, and she was sure he wasn't angry with her, she felt good actually. _But how long is it going to be until these handcuffs come off?_ She didn't really think it would only take a day to come off, but she thought there might have been a chance when she and James agreed to become friends. She shook her heads as if she was trying to shake away the impatient thoughts.

**A/N: Hey, I'm really sorry, but I've got a writer's block (I'm amazed I wrote this much, haha), and I'm writing this while I'm in pain (sorry for the dramatics); I've got shin splits, knotted muscles in my back, and sore-ness all around. I should be at band camp right now, but I ditched; I didn't think marching in circles or standing while playing music for 5 hrs was a smart idea for me, dontcha think? Haha, anyways, thanks to Fringal, BettyCrocker, and Missy396 for reviewing(: it's very much appreciated!! And also school started Wednesday, so that takes up a lot of my time, as Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, I don't get home until 10 PM. So as you can see my life is hectic at the moment. But don't worry, I'll keep on updating. Reviews are appreciated!**


	4. Chapter 4: Awkward Confessions by James

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter; JKR does.

Awkward Confessions by James Potter

The group of seventh year Gryffindors went outside to catch the last of summer warmth. To an outsider (or even a first year), the group looked like they had been friends forever; there was a lot of laughter and smiles seen.

But there were still a lot of buzzing thoughts going through Lily Evan's head…_Why can't I get James Potter out of my head? He's a complete arse!! Although, I probably should be thinking 'mutual, good' things about him—_

Lily's thoughts were interrupted by a nudge to her ribs; she glared in the direction of the offender and connected with James's Potter hazel eyes yet again. Her heart beat faster, and felt the electrifying sensation for the second time today, but tore her gaze away and asked, "Yes?"

James's face flashed through confusion, then to remembrance, "Uh… oh! We're leaving to go to the Head's Common Room; everyone wants to play Truth or Dare."

Lily groaned and got up with help from James's hand. Lily was enjoying the feel of James's hand in hers. His hand was nice and warm, not to mention it was making her stomach flutter with butterflies. And for the third time of the day, Lily and James felt a spark.

She was standing now, but didn't let go of his hand. James looked at Lily then her hand. She let go and looked away blushing; James couldn't be happier. _Lily Evans didn't want to let go of my hand! She just __blushed__! Oh, now she's looking away…I love her red hair…Oh crap, she's talking; I should be listening._

"They look happy," she stated, nodding towards to Mary, Alice, Sirius, Remus and Peter who were all holding hands and singing "With A Little Help from My Friends".

"Yeah, who would've known, our friends being best friends?"

The singing group suddenly stopped and Alice called over, "What are you guys doing back there? Come and join!"

James and Lily just looked at each other and shrugged. "C'mon!" The crowd of seven year Gryffindors just joined when a very confused Frank Longbottom walked out onto the grounds.

It was Alice again, "Frank! You're the only seventh year Gryffindor left! Come on!"

It seemed like Frank would've done anything Alice asked, but Alice never seemed to notice. Frank was holding hands with Alice at the end, looking very pleased. Lily was holding hands with James again and she felt the warmth of his hand. On her other side was Remus holding hands with Mary, which left James holding hands with Lily and Alice; Peter was next to Mary, at the end. They started skipping and singing again.

**P A G E B R E A K (: Oh my Godric, I was at a football game yesterday because I play in the marching band, and short dude jumped onto his big friend's back and they went running off and yelling, "FOR NARNIA" and his marching band cape was billowing and everything. It made my week.**

"_Mhh, I get high with a little help from my friends,_

_Yes, I get by with a little help from my friends,_

_Little help from my frieeennnddssss," _the Gryffindors sang together.

They reached the portrait of the Drunk Monks on the seventh floor right as the finished the song.

"That's perfect timing if you ask me," Alice said while everyone nodded in agreement.

Moments later, Peter came puffing up the stairs, out of breath, stuttering, "That... was…way too…fast…You…guys…need to…slow down…your skipping…techniques…"

All the girls laughed while James, Sirius and Remus patted him on the back and helped him through the portrait.

Everyone settled in the Head's Common Room on the rug.

Sirius was rubbing his hands together, "All right, now that we're all here, we can now play. Now we need a bottle of Firewhiskey, James?"

James shook his head and replied, "Nah, I haven't had any for a while now."

Lily spoke up, "It's against the rules to have Firewhiskey anyways, Sirius," narrowing her eyes.

"Yeah, well, a lot of things that we do are against the rules, we do them anyways. Hey, Wormy?"

"What?" Peter asked, annoyed.

"I dare you to go to Hogsmeade and get some Firewhiskey."

"Not uh, I got it last time, its James's turn."

Sirius turned to his friend and smiled. "Prongs, you heard the man, go get it."

"Unless Lily wants to go with I can't." Everyone in the room turned to Lily.

She huffed, "Fine, let's go, but if we get caught, I'm blaming you all."

The Heads both left the room and went down the same secret passage that they went down yesterday.

"I am honestly shocked that you're about to break the rules, Miss Evans," James said with a crooked smile on his face.

"Yeah, well, I knew Sirius would have forced me, or my friends and it would just be pointless to argue."

"I was hoping you were losing your stubbornness," James replied, joking.

"Ha-ha," Lily laughed sarcastically, "You can't always get what you want," she added jokingly again.

"Yeah," James said, "Like you," he meant to add in his head, but said it out loud instead. _Oh shit, what have I done? I told her we could be friends 7 hours ago, way to screw it up, James!_

_What did he say? He can't have me? _Lily thought in her head

_Well…_the second voice in her head thought.

_WHAT? NO! I will not ever James Potter! _Lily argued with the voice.

_All right…if you say so…_

_He's a complete arse! Wait…I'm arguing with myself…All right, I need to stop this,_ and Lily concluded her thoughts with that.

"Oh, um, I didn't mean to say that outloud, sorry." James was now rubbing his neck in an embarrassed way.

"Oh, it's all right," Lily answered. The two Heads walked in complete silence until the reached the Three Broomsticks.

"How do you even convince Rosemerta to get you Firewhiskey anyways?"

James answered as he pulled open the door and motioned her to walk in first, "It's the Marauder charm," he winked at her.

Lily rolled her eyes and entered the Three Broomsticks, "The same charm you use to sleep with girls?"

"Actually, that's Sirius," James answered, smiling. When Lily had an unconvinced expression on her face, he added, "No, really! Believe it or not, I'm still a virgin!"

Lily looked at him, and again only saw sincerity, "Oh, well, you can't blame me for thinking that. With those rumors Lisa Lewson and her cronies are spreading around, everyone thinks you and Sirius slept with every seventh year Ravenclaw girl."

James was now frowning slightly with his eyebrows scrunched together, which in Lily's opinion, made him look adorable.

"I knew she'd say spread something about me when I broke up with her. She is incredibly stupid for a Ravenclaw."

Lily smiled and followed James to the counter.

**A/N: I have a diving meet tomorrow(: and I got 4****th**** in a varsity invite yesterday too; it was awesome(:**

**Anyways, I have a great idea for the next chapter, I'm most likely going to write it in my notebook tomorrow, so expect a new chapter soon!(:**

**Thanks everyone for reviewing; I love you, and take a delicious cyber-cookie(:**

**A/N continued like 5 minutes later: All right, I just thought of another great idea for the chapter after the next. Writer's block is finally over(:**


	5. Chapter 5: Truth or Dare?

Disclaimer: I had a dream I was JKR…and a ninja…Too bad I woke up; it was the best dream ever.

**All right, I'm waiting for the first period bell to ring or for Haley to show up so I'm going to write chapter five(:**

**P.S. you can skip all the bolded parts; it's just my A/N's during the days of when I can write.**

Chapter Five-

"Alright," said Sirius, rubbing his hands together, "now that lovely Heads," he gestured towards Lily and James sitting together in a love seat, "have come back with the Firewhiskey, we can start our game of Truth or Dare…Now who's first?

Everyone was silent until James said, "Sirius, you're so keen on this game, why don't you go first?"

Sirius grinned and turned to Remus, "Truth or dare, Moony?"

Remus just grinned back and answered, "Truth."

**All right, YUCK, there's people pretty much making out in front of me; I'm gonna find somewhere else to sit… Yes! I got an A on my chemistry quiz!! I'm in 2****nd**** period right now.**

Sirius immediately frowned and looked stumped. James stage whispered to everyone, "Sirius can never think of any good truths."

"Ah, Moony, why'd you have to do this to me??" Sirius exclaimed.

"Because your dares are too crazy, except for this wack-job here," Remus said, jerking his thumb to James who replied with a creeper smile.

Sirius returned the creeper smile and James started laughing and tried to talk during laughs, "Remember, haha, when we, hahahaha, broke into, hahah, the Slytherin, haha, Common Room?"

Even Remus started laughing while Alice said, "You did what?" with an unbelieving expression on her face.

Remus who was the only one who still had the ability to talk normally said, "Have you ever heard of the Chinese Fire Drill?" **(A/N: a Chinese fire drill is when people switch beds, but they don't know. Lmfao, funniest prank if you can fill in, the people wake up all confused :D)**

Everyone nodded and now Frank was laughing; he remembered it now.

"So we snuck in the Slytherin Common Room and we went into Sniv-- Snape's dorm and levitated him to the Girl's Dormitory and put him in there. We paused ourselves and thought, 'Why stop there?'"Remus said, paused for a laugh.

James and Sirius were composed and James finished the story. "Yeah so then we ended up switching all the 6th year Slytherin beds."

Everybody was laughing now, even Lily. "And the funniest part hasn't even happened yet!" Sirius exclaimed, grinning ear to ear. "We went to the Slytherin Common Rooms early in the morning, and hid under the invisibility cloak. We brought Frank with us in the morning because we thought their morning reactions would be hilarious."

"And we were right," Remus said laughing, wearing a near identical grin like Sirius. That was the Marauder's trademark, the grin. "The people's faces were priceless when they would come down. Not to mention the stairs for the Girl's Dormitory would turn into slides everytime a guy came down the stairs, knocking down the lower years girls going down, or any confused girls walking up."

"We were laughing so hard that we had to put a silencing charm on us," James concluded, talking quite loudly so he could be heard over the laughter.

**I'm in lunch now, my friend refuses to tie her shoes more then once a day, as she's weird like that, and I was stepping on her shoe laces purposely untying both of them (hey, what are friends for? :D) and she came up to me last period, which was band and was like "Bridget!!! Look my shoe is tied!" I then congratulated her on tying her shoe more then once in a day, but the weirdest thing happened. She ****didn't**** tie her shoes, neither did I or anyone she knows for that matter—we are thoroughly confused and came up with 2 possibilities, someone in her class tied her shoes for her, or she magically tied her shoes with-out meaning to (I've seen a youtube video). What do you guys think?**

Everyone was laughing now, Sirius and James the hardest. It was a few minutes before everyone was in control again. It took one giggle or chuckle to set them all off into crazed laughter.

"Sirius, you still need to think of a truth!" James said grinning, because he knew it would bother his best friend.

Sirius groaned and looked at the ceiling and said, "Oh dear Godric…Okay, let me think…"

"Don't hurt yourself," Lily said sarcastically with a grin matching.

"Ha-ha, who knew Evans had a sense of humour?" Sirius said in an equally sarcastic tone. "What's your favorite color Moony?"

Remus grinned and answered, "Red." He looked around for the next victim. "All right…Alice, truth or dare?"

**Je suis en classe de francais! Oh. My. Dear. Godric. This guy sitting in front of me asked why we use robots as refrigerators…Well, I…don't know? I honestly have no comment whatsoever.**

Alice pondered for a second before replying, "Truth, I'm not reckless enough to take a Marauder's dare.

Remus mentally agreed with her, who was he to be a hypocrite? "Okay…Do you have a crush on anybody?"

Alice avoided all the eyes in the room by looking down. She muttered, "Yes," and started blushed fervently.

Lily smiled; she knew who it was. Everyone else seemed baffled though. "Who, who, who?" Sirius asked, poking her with every "who".

"I already answered one question that was directed to me, you'll have to ask me another time," Alice said smiling, her blush disappeared. "It's my turn now, let's see…Lily! Truth or dare?"

Lily considered this, _she wouldn't make me too anything __too__ rash with James attached to me…Then again, Alice has been known for crazy kissing dares. Like kissing that Ravenclaw guy that passed by. _Lily shuddered at the thought of John Corner.

Lily was feeling reckless, so she answered, "Dare," with a mischievous smile on her lips. Was the trademark Marauder grin contagious?

Everyone in the room looked at Lily, shocked, especially Alice. Then Alice started to grin, "Are you sure Lily?"

"Of course, Alice," Lily answered, only slightly doubting her choice.

"I dare you to snog the first guy to walk past you," Alice said, "That is not in the Head's Common Room," she added as she saw James perk up. His shoulders sagged after the afterthought.

"But…" Lily started talking, thinking of a way for a new dare, "That be awkward with this 'situation'?" she said, raising the enchanted cuffs.

"It's a dare, Lily," Alice said still grinning. "No chickens allowed!"

Lily looked stumped in trying to find a loophole; James however looked like he found one. She huffed and said, "All right, well, should I go now?"

Alice thought for a millisecond and answered, "Yes….mwahaha!"

Lily sighed and went out the common room, dragging James with. As soon as they were out of the common room, she said, "I'm really sorry that I have to do this in front of you, this is going to be so awkward, and I'm apologizing for the future. I can't say that I did when I really didn't because the truth will gnaw at me till I actually do it. I can't lie too well either, you see—"

James shushed her ramblings by putting his finger to her lips. She noticed how close they were; it was awfully close for her liking. Their foreheads were nearly touching. Her heart started to race up and she blushed and looked down. James picked her face up and said, "Well you can kiss me if you want." Lily looked confused so James continued, "We're not in the Head's Common Room right now."

Lily understood and bit her lip as she thought. A few seconds later she responded, "I'm sorry, James, but I think I like being friends with you and friends don't necessarily go around snogging each other… I'm sorry," she finished lamely. James looked pretty put out, his usually mischievous sparkle in his eyes was gone, and his normal grin was mirrored into a frown.

He sighed and answered sadly, "I sort of expected that, but Lily?"

"Hm?"

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why don't you want to go out with me? What's wrong with me??"  
Lily was shocked that he actually came out and asked it like that. "Do you think I'm ugly? Or still a toe-rag? Is it because of Snape?"

She choked on air for a second, "Severus?? Godric no, and I don't think you're ugly or a toe-rag." _Not ugly is a tad of an understatement, he's gorgeous. _

James looked pleased at the compliments and his hand unconsciously went to ruffle his hair but stop mid-way, remembering that Lily hated when he did that. "Why then?"

"Because…" she paused for a few seconds, "At first I thought it was joke that you were pulling on me."

"Lily! This is not a joke, I swear to my grandparents' grave and to the world that I am not joking when I say I like you!" _Like is a tad of an understatement, I think I might love you. _

"I know now, but still…you would hurt me," Lily said, her voice quieting at the second part.

James took a second to take the information in his brain and suddenly turned and stood in front of her, "I swear I would never hurt you Lily. Ever," he said, putting emphasis on the never and ever. She didn't respond and just continued to look at the floor. James sighed and put his index finger on her chin; raising her face and forcing them make eye contact. "Get that in your head, Lily Evans. Please," he added as an afterthought.

"I think I am starting to now," she said, her voice still quietly.

James felt a whoosh through his stomach and grinned, "I can deal with that for now."

Lily smiled again now, and said, "Well, as happy as I am that that was all said, what are we going to do about the dare?"

James sighed again, thinking. After a few moments he answered, "Well, how about a rain check snog?"

Lily smiled, and said, "All right, I guess I can deal with that for now," saying the exact same thing as James did a few moment prior.

James grinned and they both headed back to the Head's Common Room, with their fingers tingling with chemistry when they accidentally bumped.

They walked in the common room with Alice and Frank having a full-scale snogging session.

"What the bloody…?" Lily said as soon as they entered.

**All right, that's the end of this chapter(: 7 whole pages on word, whoopidedoo!**

**I apologize so incredibly much that this took forever to write, I've been non-stop busy, but don't worry, I still have great ideas for the future. Sorry about the fluffiness of this chapter, it nearly drowned me there…**

**Anyways, thanks for being patient (it's not really like you could have not, but it's the thought that counts); happy reviewing (hopefully!!)!**


	6. Chapter 6: Truth or Dare continued

Disclaimer: If I was JKR, I would have a British accent, but I don't, so I'm not.

**A/N: Hey everybody, HAPPY TURKEY DAY! But, on a more serious and apologetic note: ****I am so incredibly sorry**** that I haven't been updating at all recently. Diving season just ended (for those who care and actually read these :D), sectionals was last Saturday. Now time for season of pain, blood, sweat, tears, sprains, strains, broken bones…otherwise known as gymnastics it's a love/hate relationship with my sports but hey, what can a girl do? No onward ho, my maties, chapter 6 ahead! **

Truth or Dare continued

Alice and Frank sprung apart immediately as if Lily's words felt like a static shock.

"Explain," Lily demanded, "Not that I'm not immensely not happy for you two dolts for realizing that you love each other or anything," she added, noting her harsh tone. Both Alice and Frank were grinning ear to ear and looked like idiots in Lily's opinion.

"Well see, Sirius took over your turn, as you'd seem like you'd be gone for awhile and his curiosity was killing him. So he asked Alice the normal truth or dare she said dare, knowing Sirius would ask her," Mary started to explain, seeing as Alice was too flustered to explain herself.

Remus took over now, "At first Sirius dared Alice to tell him who she fancied but we vetoed it, seeing as that wasn't fair, nor a real dare" **IT RYHMES!**

Sirius interrupted Remus now, "Then I had an absolute, brilliant plan. I dared her to snog the bloke she fancied," he made a tada-ing gesture. "Then you two lovebirds walked in."

James, who was standing slightly behind Lily, started grinning while Lily blushed and said, "No, no, no, no, no, no! We are definitely NOT lovebirds!" Lily said while still blushing. She heard James distinctively mutter "rain-check lovebirds". She elbowed him in the stomach to shut him up.

Mary stage-whispered to Sirius and Remus, "Now all we need is for these two 'dolts' to realize they luuuurrrvvveeee each other."

Remus and Sirius grinned, as did James, still hiding behind Lily, who was shooting her "best friend" daggers.

Remus actually whispered to Mary, "I believe that one lovebird already knows how much he loves her."

Mary grinned and smacked her forehead in mock-forgetfulness, "Oh how could I forget?"

Lily glared at Remus now too. James, in the hope of moving on, cleared his throat and said, "Lily, it's your turn."

The fiery redhead huffed one more time but saying, "Mary, truth or dare?"

Mary pondered for a few moments before replying, "Truth, I don't want to be on the receiving end of your rage," she said in a joking manner. Lily grinned, forgetting the previous conversation for a few seconds.

**Haha, we're watching a video about Rome and its origin/beginning and they say it was created by Romulus and ****Remus**** and they were raised by ****wolves****. Hehehe(:**

"Hmm, I know nearly everything about you, except…" Lily paused while Mary winced and Alice looked on with excitement clear on her face. "Who was your first kiss with?"

Mary wincing face went away at once at the thoughts of her first kiss; it was like she was in a trance, her voice sounded unlike her own and dreamy, "Alex Wood."

"YES! YES! YES! WE FINALLY KNOW THE FORBIDDEN INFORMATION!" Alice screamed, dancing around. The Marauders gave her weird looks as she was the only one dancing to invisible music in the room.

Lily was grinning and said, "Mary has refused to give us the name of her first kiss and we've been bothering her about it since fourth year."

Alice came trotting over to Lily and whispered in her ear, "Well, it looks like we can finally play match-maker!"

Lily grinned and nodded in agreement, but the silence wasn't even needed, Mary was far away in her thoughts. Remus brought her back to Earth by saying, "Mary, it's your turn."

She snapped out of her trance quickly and looked around the room, before settling on Remus, "Remus, truth or dare?"

"I'm going to be lazy like my fellow Marauder," he said, motioning to James, who reacted with a rude gesture, "and take truth."

"All right," Mary said, starting immediately, "Why haven't you ever had a girlfriend? I mean you're so nice and sweet!" Remus was stuttered and started to mad, Mary continued, "Unless you swing the other way…"

Remus looked outraged and was able to form words now, "I do not swing the other bloody way," he started but was quickly interrupted by Sirius.

"I bloody hope you don't," Sirius said cracking up with James but they were quickly silenced by Remus.

"I don't need a girlfriend," he stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "They're just distracting and I need to concentrate. It's N.E.W.T.'s year for Godric's sake!"

Everyone seemed to just accept the answer, Alice being preoccupied with Frank, Lily and the Marauders knowing that his lycanthropy was the problem, not his studying ambitions, and Mary was easily convinced.

Sirius fake yawned and exclaimed with shocking volume, "This game is boring! Let's add some Firewhiskey!"

When Lily looked like she wanted to protest, Sirius kept talking, "Lily-flower, you don't have patrols tonight, it's the second day of school and they start on Monday, so don't try to pull that, and we can just stay here tonight if we become drunk—"

"Sirius! Me and James do have to patrol tonight, what are you on?" Lily looked at him with her eyebrows raised.

Sirius shrugged and said, "Well, it was worth a shot…"

"Actually, now that you reminded me, we have patrols in five minutes, Padfoot," James said, sighing while looking at his watch.

"I take this as farewell, Prongsies, love of my brotherhood," Sirius said, giving James a bear hug and dragging Lily into it too…Actually sandwiching her…

"Geroff! I can't breathe you weirdos!" Lily was trying to talk but her voice was muffled from James and Sirius, but she was smiling.

After a few moments James and Sirius let go off each other revealing a very flustered Lily. Alice and Mary giggled at their very disgruntled friend. But too soon, they were all saying goodbye, and too soon, Lily and James were by themselves, wandering in the halls of Hogwarts, patrolling.

"Well that was fun," James said smiling.

Lily nodded and replied, "Yeah, it actually was. I thought I was going to dread it."

James pretended to be hurt, "Dread it? How could you possibly dread a game of truth or dare with the Marauders?"

Lily didn't answer; she just laughed and playfully shoved him. She then realized that even though that they agreed to be friends this morning; they acted as it's been a decade long friendship. It was easy and quick, not like any of her other friendship, as they started off awkward. She and James just seemed to click and she liked it.

**This author's note also serves as the purpose of a page break(: I'm listening to Hey Jude, by the Beatles from my iHome/iPod, and from my laptop! Talk about surround sound!**

They patrolled without problems, as it was the first day back, and no one had wanted to start off on the wrong foot this year. They returned the Head's Common Room got ready for bed.

_Today was a pretty amazing day. I woke up today hating everything and now I pretty love life. Its days like these I could relive over and over again and not want to change a single thing,_ Lily reflected as she was laying in bed, trying to fall asleep. She turned around and saw James already asleep; he didn't have his glasses on, his hair was even messier if possible and his mouth was slightly ajar. She grinned before drifting off.

**A/N: all right, I feel horrible about taking forever to update. Like I said, I had a total of one day off of sports, yippee, and I always have school… Grr, life gets in the way too much… Well, an eventful chapter is next, thank Godric, I hate filler chapters just as much as the next person, but please review, that green button is calling you!**

**See? | Right there**

**V**


	7. Chapter 7: Lily's Nightmare and Godric

Disclaimer: Sigh, I am not JKR and I am not looking to be sued.

**Hello Earthlings. Chicago just had its first snow storm yesterday :D**

**So I count it as a holiday to publish chapter seven!!**

Lily's Nightmare and Godric's Tunnel

She was tossing and turning, much to James's amusement and annoyance. Since the handcuffs had bonded them in more ways then just psychically, James's left arm was flinging back and forth with whatever Lily was dreaming. He sighed; he knew she was having a nightmare, and he wanted to help, really he did, but he _really_ wanted to sleep... This was going to be a long night…

**This bolded part is a pagebreak, represented a time change in this story(: wow I sound like a geek! I'm getting fish tomorrow! I really shouldn't be this excited for fish, I mean all they do is poop in the water and have babies…but I can't help it! I'm getting 4 and I'm naming them after the Marauders. All right, enough talk about fish!**

Lily gasped and glanced around the room, looking for the pale, black hooded stranger. She only found James, who had only a look of sincerity in his eyes. She closed her eyes for a moment, catching her breath.

"Lily?" she heard James say.

"It was a nightmare, nothing to worry about, James," she answered, eyes still closed. She knew she came out as rude, but she hoped James understood she wasn't trying to be mean.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Lily's mind flashed back to her and James holding hands and being married. She didn't want to tell him… _Really, who would want to tell their recently acquired friend that they had dreams about marriage? Nobody, that's who!_ She could never tell anyone what possessed for a few moments; she had no clue.

She waited what felt like a few minutes before responding, "Yeah," she opened her eyes and saw James's face close to hers and her heart skipped a beat, "We were walking down an abandoned park," she started but James interrupted her.

"_We_ were? Like me and you?"

"No," she answered sarcastically, "me and the flying monkey behind you."

James rolled his eyes and muttered, "Somebody likes sarcasm in the wee hours of the morning…"

Lily grinned and rolled her eyes and continued, "So it was all dark and foggy and we were walking and-"

James interrupted again, "Did we still have these on?"

Lily contemplated on lying and saying yes to save her from the embarrassment. But she couldn't, his gaze was too intense and his face too inquiring, "Err, no, but ah… um…we were… ah… walking together and um, yeah, and um, holding hands," she finished looking down.

James attempted not to grin and nearly succeeded. It didn't matter though, as Lily was looking down.

She hurried through the next part of her dream, "We were walking through the park and every once in awhile, I'd see something out of the corner of my eye but when I'd look it would be gone. I was getting kind of scared because it felt like a nightmare."

"Then we walked into this forestry part and we walked into some type of meeting. This man was wearing black cloak thing, even over his face; it covered it completely," she paused.

"And he introduced himself as Lord Voldemort."

At Voldemort's name, James's body tensed up and Lily noticed it.

"At least you're not afraid to say his name," James said as he tried to lighten the mood.

Lily grinned and nodded, but still kept on with her dream, "And he asked us to join him and of course we rejected and when we did he was frustrated and tried to kill us both," her voice quieted. She felt James squeeze her shoulder, pressing her to move on with the story.

She took a breath in shakily, remembering what happened next, "He threatened you first, saying if you didn't join him, he'd kill me," James looked angered, even though the story wasn't reality, "I told you to never join him, just because of me, and that really set him off. He pointed his wand at me and tried to kill me…but you jumped in the way and he killed you," there were now tears coming down her face now and James had a determined look on his face, "And he just laughed before killing me, and that's when I woke up."

James was quiet; for the first time in his life, he was speechless. After a few moments though, he hugged Lily tightly and said, "It's all right, it was just a dream," Lily felt his voice on her neck, she felt him grinning before saying, "And I won't be taking you on any dates into abandoned parks to go see Voldemort."

She couldn't help it, she started laughing. James would be the only one (other then maybe Sirius) that would have a witty comment for a nightmare and make Lily laugh while she was crying. She let go of James now, wiping her tears away and croaking a simple, "Thanks."

They both smiled and the attempted to go back to sleep. James beat her asleep and his face was being smushed by his pillow, she giggled before turning the other way. She knew she wouldn't get anymore sleep after the nightmare; she's never fallen back asleep…

**Ob la di, Ob la da, life goes on, blah! Ahlalala life goes on(: My iTunes tells me that I played that song 1178 times, and I don't doubt it :D**

James woke up in the late morning the next day, and turned towards Lily, to see that she was already (still) up. He grinned his crooked smile and said, "Good morning!"

She cringed and plugged her nose, "You have such bad morning breath!"

Instead of taking offense to that, he just smiled even larger and blew his breath in her face. She retaliated by whacking him in the face with a pillow. When the pillow was moved, Lily was now grinning too.

"Oi! You did not just start a pillow fight with a Marauder!"

She grinned and jumped out of bed, "I reckon I did."

"You cheeky kitty—!" James started but he was cut off by another pillow.

"Oh this means—!" he started yet again, but Lily just laughed and hit him again.

"Can I just—!" more laughter came from both Lily and James.

Instead of attempted to talk, James grinned tried hit Lily with a pillow. But Lily ducked, and hit the corner of the bedpost, and ripping, causing a rip in the pillow. Instead of being worried or fixing the pillow, James simply made the rip bigger and dumped it onto Lily head. Lily, who was now covered in feathers grinned and followed his lead. She ripped another pillow open and dumped it onto James's head. Soon enough, the room was full of feathers, and Lily and James were laughing hysterically. The laughter shortly subsided and Lily and James were looking at each other.

"If somebody told me that I would have been having a pillow fight with the Head Boy, James Potter last year, I would have never believed them," Lily said, breaking the silence.

James grinned and said, "If somebody told me that Lily Evans got through three days without slapping me, I wouldn't have believed them either."

"Touché," Lily said now, grinning again.

One thing happened after each other and James and Lily had their foreheads leaning together and Lily noticed how close their lips were. Her heart raced up, and James leaned forward—

"PRRRONNNGGIIESSS!" Sirius barged into the Head's Common Room, "WHEREEE ARE YOU AND DEAREST LILYKINS?"

James and Lily both pulled away and began to flush, "We're in here Padfoot!" James answered his best mate.

Sirius banged through the door and found James and Lily, their foreheads not touching anymore, but still awfully close to each other, and feathers scattered everywhere within the room.

"What the bloody hell have you two been doing this early in the morning?"

Both of the looked at each other, grinned, then replied, "Pillow fight," simultaneously.

**Hehe, this reminds me, "unteller of truths, your pants has simultaneously combusted… I love MLIA**

Sirius grinned his trademark grin and said, "Well, I am a hungry bloke who needs his nourishment! Let's get cracka-lackin!"

Lily gave him a strange look and started to talk, but James interrupted her, "Yes Lily, let's get cracka-lackin!" He started to get up and brush all the scattered feathers away and attempted to walk out the door, but Lily sitting. "C'mon Lily, let's go eat! I know you're hungry too!"

She stood up and said, "Well, let's go get dressed then!"

James looked shocked for a second before answering, "We never get dressed for breakfast on Sundays!"

"Well that's a Marauder thing, and I'm not a Marauder, so I'll be heading towards the bathroom now--"

She headed towards the bathroom but James stood still; she tugged on his arm but only saw James and Sirius make eye contact and grin. _Oh no, Godric no…_ Lily thought as Sirius and James started walking towards her. They swiftly picked her up and ran out of the Head's Common Room.

"PUT ME DOWN RIGHT NOW YOU TWO DOLTS! AH! DO NOT DROP ME! PLACE ME ON THE GROUND! SHIT! DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT—"

The two Marauders were heading down one of their favorite secret passages, one that rarely found. It was a gigantic slide from the seventh floor to the first floor. Lily tried to grab onto something before she would head down the longest and craziest slide in history, she could even see down the tunnel; she could only grab onto the non-helpful air.

"Lily-flower," she heard Sirius say, "We are going to put you and Prongsie-poo down the slide, but first I think you should know a little history about the slide…"

Lily was above their heads, and couldn't see any escape whatsoever; she huffed and replied, "Go on, Sirius."

"You know the legend Chamber of Secrets, right? Well that was built by Slytherin, correct? The kitchens were created by Hufflepuff, and the library or something equally boring was created by Ravenclaw. This slide was one of Gryffindor's many tricks in this castle. We reckon Godric buddy was as big of a prankster as us! Now, you being a Gryffindor, we'd like to experience the awesomeness."

Lily's only thoughts was that she was going down a century old slide created by Marauder-esque prankster, "Oh no."

James grinned and said, "Don't worry, we've gone down this slide many times before; it won't break."

"Ready Lily-flower?"

"Let's get this over with," Lily sighed, knowing that she wouldn't be able to get out of this.

She and James sat down on the ledge before the treacherous slide. Lily grabbed his hand in a way she would only claim as friendly. James grinned and repeated Sirius's question.

"Ready Lily?"

"Yes, James, I will kill you after this."

She felt herself moving down the slide at a pleasant pace, like at a muggle park. Then she felt her stomach drop as the slide got sleeper and sleeper. There were so many twists and turns and up's and down's that Lily was glad that she didn't eat or get ready in the morning, she'd end up looking like a mess anyways.

She then started to notice the other things in the slide; she looked at James and saw that he was grinned and yelling of enjoyment and that's when she really began to enjoy herself too. It must have been at least a full five minutes of the slide when she saw the light at the end of the tunnel. She'd initially didn't think how the slide would end, but now that it was coming nearer and nearer every second, she started to worry, but as she was going down a very fast slide, she had no time to ponder but instead experienced. The tunnel just ended, like it was cut and she was falling through the air; it felt like over 30 feet, when she landed onto something soft.

"Oomph," Lily heard James say, "That's my least favorite part there."

Lily looked at him with a bizarre look on her face, "You play Quidditch all of the time, but you're afraid of that?" she pointed to the drop-off.

He shivered, "I hate the feeling of falling. But I think we better move out of the way, Sirius'll be coming out any minute."

And soon enough you could hear Sirius's laughing and Lily saw the tunnel flung out Sirius, who was saved by the cushioning charm that saved James and Lily a few moments earlier.

He quickly got up and straightened his pajamas and turned to Lily, "So how'd you like it?"

**I know, lame ending, but hey, this chappie can't go on forever and ever! I didn't like this chapter too much either, but reviews are golden! Thanks to BlistersOnMyFingers for reviewing! And thanks to the various other fanfiction readers that added my story to their alert list, maybe soon enough you'll feel like reviewing? Haha, just kidding, I love you all!(: **

**Until next time, my fellow fanfictionites…**


	8. Chapter 8: Sirius is Siriusly Clumsy

Disclaimer: I do own Harry Potter…In my dreams… But in reality, I don't

**Hello readers of fanfiction! My brother comes home from college today, and I'm waiting for him to come home :D I've got 4 hours to burn, so I figured I'll write! I based my Sirius on my best friend… I've known him since I was 5(:**

Sirius is Siriusly Clumsy

"So Lily how was last night?" Alice asked in a suggestive tone.

"Alice, that sounds horrible! You could really take that wrongly!" Mary lectured Alice, but Mary wasn't shocked at Alice's question; Alice said a lot of these things in their seven year friendship.

Lily giggled at her friends' exchange, and interrupted their arguing by saying, "It was as fun as patrols can get, I guess."

She also knew that James, even though talking to the other Marauders, that he was listening in.

"So Lily, are you excited for classes tomorrow?" Remus asked, attempting to join the separate conversations.

"Yeah, but I'm definitely not looking forward to homework. I don't know about you, but I really like my sleep."

Remus and Lily bantered through breakfast, while Sirius flirted with innocent bystanders, even attempted to charm Professor McGonagall, or as he affectionately called her "Minnie". James was making sure Sirius didn't do anything rash, and joined into Lily's and Remus's conversation a couple of times. Alice kept bothering Mary by putting as many perverted jokes in a conversation possible. Peter was giggling at Sirius's flirting, and Alice's jokes, but didn't talk much. Once Sirius decided that he flirted enough for one morning, he decided to stuff his face once again.

He was enjoying a pretty delicious doughnut, when he overheard Alice say, "Stick it in your mouth!"

Sirius began to laugh, and it oddly sounded like a dog's bark, when he started coughing, and he dropped his doughnut.

Mary noticed first that Sirius couldn't breathe, "Alice, you dolt! You made Sirius choke!"

Alice, who was still giggling at her own joke, looked at Sirius, who was making the I'M-CHOKING-SOMEONE-HELP-ME gesture. She stopped laughing immediately and poked Lily, who turned to Alice.

"What, Alice?"

"Sirius is choking," Alice said, gesturing with head toward Sirius, who was still choking.

Lily then proceeded to tap James who turned to her, "Yes?"

"I think you would like to know your best friend is choking."

James looked at Sirius, and then he started laughing, "_Anapneo, _there you go Paddy."

Sirius gasped for air, and glared at the girls, "Thanks for watching me die slowly!"

Lily answered first, "Well, I couldn't remember the correct spell to help you, so I got James who probably knows it by now, seeing as you choke on food a lot."

Sirius stopped glaring, and huffed, and went back to flirting.

**.: ~ :.**

All in all, it was an average morning. The day pulled on, and ended up being a normal Sunday. Later in life, the group of friends would look at this at their favorite day of the week during the crazy N.E.W.T.'s schedule. Daylight eventually turned into dusk, and the group of friends went back into Hogwarts for dinner.

They all approached the front doors when Sirius smelled dinner.

"FOOOOOOOOOODDD!" Sirius yelled, and then started running, leaving everyone at the front doors.

"Ah, well that's Sirius for you," James said laughing.

Sirius turned around to look at his best friend for a moment, and then started walking towards him extremely calmly and when they were less then a foot away, Sirius screamed yet again, "BOTHER!" and successfully pushed James down onto the ground, which was on a hill.

Unfortunately for Lily, this also dragged her down and the momentum of her fall caused both of them to tumble down the hill. It was rather large hill that lead directly to the Black Lake. But luckily for James and Lily, they stopped a few meters before they could get wet.

Everyone outside looked on, getting ready for Lily to blow up, or for James to kill Sirius, but when they stopped tumbling, all James and Lily could do was laugh.

But Sirius, contrary to his name, was freaking out, as he ran down the hill he yelled for the third time, "PRONGS! LILY-FLOWER! I AM SO SORRY! I FORGOT YOU WERE HANDCUFFED AND WE WERE STANDING ON A— OMPH!" Sirius of course tripped down the hill and now was tumbling down the hill, heading directly towards the Black Lake. Unluckily, he didn't stop as James and Lily did, and landed into the shallow part of the lake. The crowd now gathering waited with bated breath to see what could possibly happen next.

A second or two later, Sirius popped up from underwater, spit all of the water of his mouth, and started laughing like a madman. He slowly trudged back to the bank, cackling. Soon after, James and Lily were cackling too, while Remus, Peter, Mary, Alice and Frank were still standing right outside the front doors of Hogwarts; they all just looked at each other and shrugged and walked into the Great Hall, while James and Lily, pulled Sirius back out of the Black Lake. Sirius was still full of grins though, spitting even more out murky, mysterious water.

"Ew," Lily said frowning, but still laughing, while James just laughed.

When Sirius was successfully out of the Black Lake, he began to apologize, but Lily cut him off with her hand, "Don't worry about it, Sirius. I believe that you tumbling down the hill and falling into the Black Lake is enough of an apology," she grinned and the soaked Sirius.

They trudged up the hill, still had hopes of dinner…

**A/N: Allrighty, I was asked not to put author notes in the chapters and it felt strange, but how'd you guys like it? I like telling you guys random facts about my days, but oh well, I can live(: Keep them in or out? Or I could just stick them in the beginning or end…And also, sorry about this fic being so short, I really don't have an excuse, it's sort of my lazyness that shortens my writings. I'm going to be starting another fic though; I'm debating either a diary type or drabble/random conversations. I'm leaning towards the drabbles man…**

_**You can put a :), :( or :\ for your review and I'll be a happy camper!**_

**V**


	9. Chapter 9: Seventh Year Starts

Disclaimer: JKR owns Harry Potter. (No crap, Sherlock).

**A/N: I'm kind of disappointed guys… I got one review! (I love you, Kelly!) So I decided that which ever fanfiction site I get more reviews on, I post first, and no, not a couple minutes first, or hours even, days man. These is three days after it was finalized and published on the other site.**

Seventh Year Starts

As much as everyone loved the weekend before school started, it ended too quickly. The group of seventh year Gryffindors came to breakfast on Monday, dreary and with the look of sleep on their faces.

"I hate mo-mo-mornings," Sirius said while yawning.

Lily stifled her own yawns and replied, "Who does?"

James was chatting expressively to Remus, who rubbing sleep out of his eyes.

Sirius yawned yet again, and motioned James with his head, "Lover boy does."

James turned his head to Sirius, "What?"

Lily grinned, along with Remus and Sirius. "Nothing, Prongs, oh lookie! Here's Minnie and our schedules!"

Indeed, Professor McGonagall was walking down from the High Table and was giving pieces of parchments to the sixth years that were a bit farther down the table then the seventh years.

She finished with them quite quickly and headed towards the seventh years.

"Ah, I am glad to see that you are all in the same spot!" she said as she re-arranged the pieces of parchment she was carrying.

"Minnie!" Sirius exclaimed, attempting to hug her but he stopped as soon as he saw the look on her face.

"Black, how many times have I told you not to call me 'Minnie' or attempt to hug me?" Professor McGonagall said with a stern look on face.

"Too many times for me to remember, Min- Professor," Sirius corrected himself with a grin, "But it's lost its meaning after third year."

She scowled at him before addressing James first, "Mr. Potter, are you continuing the same subjects as last year?"

"Yes, Professor," James said grinning, deciding not to call her "Minnie". He didn't want a detention this early in the year.

"Still an Auror then, Potter?" she asked, looking at him over her glasses.

"Yes, Professor, that's the only job I consider," James said boldly. Sirius patted him on the back.

"Very well…" the Transfiguration professor answered, "Ms. Evans, the same for you?"

"Yes, I still want to become a Healer after Hogwarts," she said.

"Good, it looks like the both of you won't be having a problem with those handcuffs then," she gave a rare smile to the two Heads. James beamed back. She handed them their schedules.

"Mr. Black, you also are taking same subjects as Mr. Potter, am I correct?"

"Only the correctest!" Sirius replied with his smile that ninety percent of the Hogwarts' females loved. Professor McGonagall was not part of that ninety. She sighed and handed him his schedule.

She continued through the group before heading back to the High Table. The group compared their schedules. All of them (except Peter) had the same subjects so all (except Peter) had the same schedules, as they were delighted to see. They all ate, some more then others (Sirius and Peter), and headed to their first period class, Charms, while Peter had Care of Magical Creatures.

All of the teachers had the same speech the whole day… N.E.W.T.'s. By the end of the day, Sirius and James were whispering what the teachers said were about to say. It was overall, a very boring day. Lily had a lot of thinking time during her classes. She thoughts the wizard sitting next to her, about her future after Hogwarts, her best friends who were sitting next to her, some more about James Potter, her parents and their safety, her sister and her now husband, and even some more about James Potter. They haven't fought since the first day and she was glad. She could easily see them as friends in the near future. But, how long would they remain friends? She remembered how close they were to kissing just yesterday. Since James deflated his head, he had become a much better person, a lot less annoying and egotistical, actually. He was a person that she could get along easily. The bell rung, disrupting her thoughts, and they all stood up and headed to dinner.

In the hallway, Sirius started skipping backwards, with a big smile on his face, "Yes! Dinner!" He paused his celebrating to stretch his back and arms, "No more cramped desks!"

"We still have classes tomorrow, Padfoot," James said, laughing as Sirius paused and walked towards James and breathed in.

_Oh dear_, Lily thought_, I hope this isn't a replay of what happened yesterday…_

But thankfully, Sirius clasped onto James' shoulder and exhaled, "Prongs, my best friend, we need to live life as it comes. Don't worry about what comes next, actually don't worry at all. We'll deal with it as it comes!"

Everyone paused, with their eyebrows furrowed. Sirius was actually correct.

"Whoa, Padfoot," Remus said, eyebrows rose into his sandy hair, "did you just have an epiphany?"

Sirius didn't answer; he just continued walking to dinner.

"Sirius is strange; I'll give you that," Alice commented.

"You've only just met him, trying sharing a dorm with him for nearly seven years," Frank said, lacing his and her fingers together. Alice looked up at him and smiled.

_Aww, they are so cute together, watch them get married! _Lily thought in her head.

_They are so going to get married after Hogwarts, if only Lily could see that we could be that kind of couple…_ James thought at the same time.

At that, their fingers awkwardly bumped into each other. James considered holding her hand, you know, just so they would stop bumping into each other… at least, that's what he'd insist. But Lily beat him to it. She grinned at him with a faint blush on her face. He grinned back and he felt genuine happiness. Lily grabbed his hand!

The group of Gryffindors eventually made their way down to dinner and began to eat. Soon enough they finished and as they were getting up to leave to the Common Room, Severus Snape started to head towards the Gryffindors.

"Don't look now, but here comes Sniv- Snape," James said, eyeing Snape walk across the Hall.

Lily turned around, her eyebrows creased. _Why the Godric is he walking over here. Disgusting slime ball…_

Snape walked with a purpose straight to Lily. "May I have a word?"

Lily looked at James who shrugged. The gesture was not missed by Snape, who sneered, "What? Do you need Potter's permission to go talk to an old friend?"

Lily looked at him with an annoyed look on her face and was about to answer when James answered coolly, "Since you are obviously blind, _Snape, _me and Lily are handcuffed to each other, he would have to agree to come with, and not to hex you, you git."

"Oh," was all Snape said.

"I guess we can have a word," Lily replied, still her tone annoyed.

"Alone?"

"I am handcuffed to her, Snape. We can't get them off. Dumbledore put them on himself," James said, slowly, as if he was talking to a five-year-old.

"Let me see them," Snape said, interested.

Lily and James raised their enchanted handcuffs, and Snape examined them. He tapped his wand a few times on the chain, but nothing happened. If anything, they shone a brighter white. He frowned upon them, and muttered to himself, "No, it can be."

"What, Snape?" Lily asked.

"If I'm right, these handcuffs won't come off unless…" he trailed off and shook his head.

"Unless what?" James now asked interested.

"Nothing… I can talk to you another time, Lily," Snape said, and with that he walked out of the Hall and presumably to the Slytherin's Common Room.

"That was strange," Lily said after a while.

"Well, that's Snape for you," James said as he sighed, "What do you think he was going to say?"

"I've got no clue," Lily said, "I was actually going to ask you. Maybe we could research them?"

When James didn't immediately answer, she pressed, "We have no homework," she continued, "And I haven't been to the library since last year!"

James grinned his crooked grin that made Lily's heart skip a beat, "I was going to yes anyways; it's been bothering me too."

There were dozens of books scattered on Lily and James' table. They could not find any success in the hours they've been researching.

Lily picked up a large yellow book, titled, Charms for the Good Humoured, and handed it to James. "Here, read this, maybe it has something.

James answered, "Charms for the Good Humoured? Well, Dumbledore does have a sense of humour…"

James scanned through the index with Lily was occupied with a fat blue book.

_Amusing Charm…page 54_

_Appetizing Charm…page 109_

_Applause Charm…page 81_

James traced his finger to the H's

_Handcuffs…page 79_

Excited and surprised that he might actually have the answer, he quickly flipped the book open to page 79. He scanned over the passage quickly and re-read it, this time slower. He couldn't believe it. _Dumbledore put this charm on us? He obviously knew the way to get it off…what we have to do… He really does have a sense of humour then… I don't think I should tell Lily…_

"Did you find it?"

James paused, should he tell? It was now or never…

**A/N: Hello, hehe, this was sort of a cliffy, I think. Well, what do you guys think? Is James going to tell Lily? What exactly do they have to do? Tell me your predictions with a review! Oh, and I just started a drabble collection, check it out(:**


	10. Chapter 10: Unnamed Chappie

Disclaimer: I'm not JKR, nor do I pretend like I own Harry Potter.

**A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews everyone! It's been too long to really choose one site over the other, so congrats to both! I had finals soon after I put the other chapter on, and then gymnastics was getting to it's close, and just ended Thursday, so tada! This chapter is extremely short, but no worries, I already have the next one ready. It didn't flow so nicely, so it's just two different chapters.**

Un-named Chapter

James paused for a second, "Uh, I-no-er, yeah, I mean no, the answer isn't in this one."

Lily just looked at him puzzled, "Okay?"

James was internally struggling. He can't lie; he can't tell her, "Er Lily?

She looked up at him, "Yes?"

"I," he started, not sure what to say, "found it."

"Really?" she asked, her eyes brightening, "What is it?"

"Uhh, here's the passage," James said awkwardly. He pushed the book over to her side of the table. She read it, her vibrant hair falling in-between them.

"Oh, well, erm," Lily started awkwardly.

"Yeah…"

"Hello dears, I regret to say, but the library is now closing," the librarian, Madame Pince said sweetly. Lily and James packed up their stuff and magically put away the various books strewn across their table. It was after they exited the library that they both spoke.

"Lily-"

"James-"

They both looked at each other, laughing for a moment. Lily spoke before James could open his mouth, "I don't want us to become all awkward because of the kiss. Believe it or not, I like being your friend, but don't let that get to your head," Lily said grinning up at him.

James grinned at her, "I like being your friend too, Lily."

_I'd love to be your boyfriend even more, _James added as an afterthought.

"I'm glad," Lily said grinning, both of them staying in the same spot. Her stomach started churning. She nearly kissed James before, but standing here with him, knowing that she's going to kiss him is quite awkward and nerve wracking.

"What are we going to do?" James asked, his stomach also churning.

"Well, we have to kiss; you read it," Lily answered simply.

"Do I have permission to kiss you?" James asked in a tone that sounded like he was talking about the weather.

"Yes, you do," Lily said in a tone that matched his.

She saw his face lower to hers, and the next thing she knew, she was kissing James Potter. It was short but sweet. It was also the best kiss Lily Evans had ever had. It felt so nice, so natural. She wanted to snog him senseless after a little thing like that. But, of course James couldn't know about it.

She looked at the handcuffs to hide her rosing face. "Damn," she said, eyeing the handcuffs.

James looked just in time to see the handcuffs change from the brilliant white to a light purple.

"What in the name of Merlin?" James asked, also staring the handcuffs suspiciously.

"I," Lily paused, "Don't have a clue. What the bloody hell?"

James gave his crooked smile to Lily, "Who knew you were such potty-mouth?"

_Who knew you were such a bloody amazing kisser? _Lily thought inside her head, but instead voiced, "Who knew you could be not rude?"

"Touché," he replied.

They bantered all the way up towards the Head's Common Room. They were on the fourth floor when James turned to Lily, "Lily?"

"Yes?"

Instead of answering, he kissed her. Not like the little shy peck before, but full fledged kiss. Lily was shocked to say the least, and when she understood that James's mouth was fused to hers, James pulled away smiling.

"What do you think you're doing?" Lily said, trying but failing to sound mad, so settled for a shocked tone.

"I couldn't leave you with a bad impression of my kissing, now could I?" James said, his eyes glittering.

Lily only _hmphed_ in response _as if_ Lily could get a bad impression of his kissing, "I was kind of hoping that the handcuffs would change another color," James said, looking down.

Lily glanced down to still see that the handcuffs were indeed still purple. "Well, I'm guessing these handcuffs are something Dumbledore altered from the original charm," she said gazing up to see James looking down.

"Of course Dumbledore would create a charm that's complicated!" James exclaimed, slapping his forehead in feigning surprise. Lily grinned and James led her through a short-cut through a tapestry.


	11. Chapter 11: The Color of Friendship

Disclaimer: Did you notice that Harry Potter is like Waldo? Well, JKR owns Harry Potter, and a majority of these characters, just not Waldo.

Color of Friendship

"Sirius, why would we want to go swimming in the Black Lake at midnight?" Remus said with an amused grin on his face.

"Just for funsies!" Sirius said grinning, "We haven't done anything fun yet this year!"

"I'll do it Padfoot!" Peter chirped in.

"Thatta man, Wormtail!" Sirius said thumping his companion on the back. He turned to his best friend, "What about you Prongs?"

James pushed up his falling glasses to the top of the bridge of his nose, "I would love to Padfoot, but what about poor Lily-flower?"

Lily turned from talking to Alice at the mention of her name. "What?"

"Dearest Lily-flower, would you like to join us on an escapade?"

Lily looked at Remus questionably who was still wearing his amused smile.

"Should I agree?" Lily asked Remus, the most rule following Marauder.

"Do you get cold easily?" he asked reasonably.

"No, I'm like a heater," she replied obliviously, "See?" She put the back of her head on Remus's cheek.

James who was watching the affair felt a pang of jealousy when Lily touched Remus's cheek, but didn't show it in his face. Instead he reached to hold Lily's hand.

Lily looked at James now questionably. "I was seeing if you really were a heater!" he grinned.

She rolled her eyes but still held his hand; she turned back to Remus, "So, should I agree?"

"Do you like the hour of midnight?"

"It's not a terrible time of the day."

"How about the sport of swimming?"

"It's all right," Lily answered, "But I don't believe I would want to go swimming at midnight."

"I knew you'd get it Lilykins," Sirius said grinning, "So what about it?"  
"Sirius, didn't you just hear no?" Lily looked at him skeptically.

"Yes, but I have a little case of selective hearing," Sirius said, "Please my dearest flower?" he added giving her a puppy dog look.

"Sorry Sirius, its way too cold, and I really don't want to get sick. And besides, Halloween feast is tomorrow, we'll have fun then."

James leaned over and whispered into her ear, "Thank Godric you said no, I don't fancy it either."

She could feel his warm breath on her ear and shivered. He went back to talking to the Marauders about who knows what and Lily tried to turn back into Alice's and Mary's conversation.

"So then they broke up again; it must have been at least the seventh time, but they were back together by the end of the day," Mary was talking to an uninterested Alice, "And do you know what the fight was about?" Mary turned to see Alice looking at her nails and turned to Lily instead.

"What?" she replied; she wasn't interested but Mary was her best friend.

"Waffles!" Mary said with a scandalized look, "The last time was toast, and who knows what the time before that! Pancakes?" she said all in one breathe, and inhaled, ready to rant some more when Lily tuned her out and looked over to James.

He was looking at Sirius quizzically, as one should when their best friend tries to serenade the other. She also noticed that her and James were still holding hands and decided not to do anything about it. They've become pretty close friends, or whatever they were. They also haven't kissed or have had anything close to it since the day outside the library.

"And Lisa Lewson, don't even get me started on her!" Mary still ranting, but contrary to her words, began to start another rant.

Lily internally rolled her eyes and glanced over to Alice. Frank had silently joined the group and was now talking to Alice who was on his lap. Lily sighed and turned back to Mary.

"And I was like really? And she just gave me this look that just said yeah! Oh how I wanted to slap her!" she finished ranting, noticing that no one was quite listening to her. "So how's James?"

Lily grinned, "Pretty good actually. He really deflated his head recently. And," she paused, looking to make sure James was still occupied with his friends, "He hasn't asked me out since last year, and I really do like him, as a friend of course."

Mary chuckled, "Yes, and of course it will remain platonic."

"What do you—," Lily began to talk, interrupted by James lightly poking her in the shoulder, "Yes?" she said to James now.

"Do you want to head back now?"

Lily glanced down at her watch and saw that it was already ten o'clock and nodded. She didn't notice how tired she was until James mentioned it. They both got up and waved everyone goodbye.

"So, I have a new theory," James started.

"About the handcuffs?" Lily asked.

"Of course, so remember when we kissed, it turned from white to purple?"

"Yes," Lily answered a little awkwardly.

"Then it changed from purple to black after Sirius hid under the bed and scared Merlin's pants out of us?"

"Yes," Lily answered again, grinning. That was a funny memory.

"Then after it turned from black into yellow after we argued about Snape?"

"Yes," Lily answered, "And we didn't talk for a whole day."

"Yes, and it stayed yellow until we apologized and all that jazz, then it changed into orange?"

Lily glanced at the handcuffs which were now orange, "Yes, James."

"So, purple would be sort of shocking color yes?"

"Yes, James," Lily replied, getting a little impatient, "just tell the whole thing."

"So after we were both shocked from Sirius it changed to black like an angry color until we argued which was an angry event. Then changed yellow, the color of friendship until we became friends again," James looked at Lily, who comprehended.

"So you're saying that the color of the handcuffs describes what we have to do next?"

"Yes!" James said excitedly.

"So then, what does the color of orange mean?"

"That, my lady, I don't know."

**A/N: So, what do you guys think? I didn't like it so much, and I'm not liking this story too much anymore. I'm debating if I should just redo it completely. Review and tell me what you think.**


	12. Chapter 12: A Moment They'd Remember

Disclaimer: JKR owns the characters and main events; I just like to play things out.

**So, I've been in the doctors for the past three weeks. The first week was for my legs, as the athletic trainers were worried that there was a stress fracture in my shins. So I got an x-ray, and tada, nothing showed up. But the doctor wasn't convinced, so I got a bone scan, and they finally accepted that it's a muscle problem. The second week was for what kind of muscle problem. After that I got the okay to do gymnastics/diving as long as it didn't hurt. I was so excited, but then I got horribly sick the day after the orthopedist appointment. I didn't go to school for a whole week. So then this week, I've been catching up on schoolwork. I'm so terribly sorry; it's just been bad coincidences after each other. Then I looked at the chapter I had started to write, and completely hated it, so let's see if I finish it today, Sunday.**

_**A Moment that They Both Wouldn't Forget**_

Lily Evans was peacefully spacing out and dozing off in the surprising Halloween late afternoon. The air was a little windy and the sun was out and warm. All of the population of Hogwarts was enjoying the weather outside, as it would most likely be the last day of good weather. The seventh year Gryffindors were all lazing by the infamous beech tree. But contrasting to two years prior, James had Lily on his lap (after he assured it was completely platonic, of course), Alice was resting against Frank's chest and occasionally sharing a sweet kiss, and Mary was talking to Remus, who was patiently listening to her. The only thing that remained to be unchanged was Sirius, who was making out with a random Ravenclaw sixth year.

But too soon, the sun began to set, and dinner was soon to be served. The group ambled to the feast, chatting the way up there. Once they got there, they saw the many first years ooh and aah at all the decorations they've never seen. Lily had to admit, even though she didn't seem as excited as the younger years, she was still amazed at the decorations that filled the Great Hall every holiday.

"I could never get used to this," Lily said out loud, talking to no one specifically.

"You should see my house around Christmas time," James said, "My mum gets crazy with the decorations. She absolutely adores Christmas and New Years; we always have two parties, one on Christmas Eve and the other on New Year's Eve to about six AM on New Year's Day."

Lily laughed, "Your mum most love parties, having two in less then a week apart from each other."

James grinned, "Definitely, all old wizard families have parties. You should come this year!" he said, excitement colouring his voice.

Lily looked at James, laughing. It was funny to see him excited; he was like a little kid that was given a shiny new toy.

"No, seriously! Alice, Frank and Mary could all come and we'd have a lot of fun!"

"We'll see, James," Lily said, still amused at his excitement clear on his face, "My parents usually have a party too," his face faltered for a moment, but she added, "But I'm sure the New Year's party will be a hit."  
His excitement flushed his features again. "Great! I'll go write to my mother right now!"

He started to run to the direction of the Owlery. Lily stumbled for a moment before yelling out, "James!"

He stopped immediately, eyebrows now furrowed. "Oh! Oopsies! Forgot about the whole handcuffs thing."

"It'sokay," Lily said, waving her hand, "But let's go to the feast yes?"

The tips of his ears turned red, "Guess I forgot about that too."

With that, they left and enjoyed their final Halloween feast at Hogwarts.

**.:.::.::.:.**

"Never again," moaned Sirius, clutching his stomach, as if he were pregnant.

Everyone laughed at Sirius's dramatics, but really, he would be the only one to take a dare of eating 3 whole chickens. They were all lazily walked up to their common room, when James asked, "Lils, can we go the Owlery now?"

"Sure," Lily answered, and talking to the rest of her friends, "We'll meet you guys up there; James has to visit the Owlery." They all dismissed them, and James and Lily began to walk back down the stairs.

James started the conversation, "I'm actually really excited for this! The party will be amazing; you won't be forgetting it anytime soon!"

Lily laughed; she really loved it when he got excited like this, "It's just me, James, there's no need to get excited!"

"Just you??" James said, he sounded shocked and angry. "It's not 'just you' Lily. You are one of the most amazing people I've ever met. You're the most stunning, intelligent, witty, funny, attractive, extraordinary, temperamental, surprising, loyal, brave, bold and beautiful girl, and I really mean it. You're one of those people that will leave Hogwarts and be successful in everything you try. You'll fall in love, get married and have eleven kids. You'll be in the resistance movement, and you'll be a top fighter, most likely one of the key people that will stop Voldemort, because we _will_ be victorious in the war, I know it. And after that, you'll be in top of your career, and you'll become bloody rich," he paused for a breath, "You're one of my best friends now, and I hope I'm one of yours. I hope you won't forget me once we leave Hogwarts, Lily."

Lily had started to tear up; that was extremely shocking, the look in James's eyes was so passionate. She hugged him tight and felt his toned body tense at first, and then relax, embracing her. Suddenly, everything became serious. They only had eight more months at this truly magical school. They had N.E.W.T.'s that would determine their career, if they even could have one. The war was really out there; both of them could be possible targets in the close future. They knew they would never join him, and they wanted to fight. She had tears freely flowing out of her eyes now, and she felt James inhale several times, trying not cry. She let go of him for a moment, and said, "James, how could I possibly forget you? I've been with you seven years now, and," she sniffed, "You're my best friend too. You're a bloody git and a bullying toerag," she said, James looked depressed for a moment, she pressed on, "But it's you, and there are some things about you that will never change," she paused, "and that's what I love about you. All those things you said about me are true about you too! You'll be an Auror and a bloody amazing one. You'll be the top of that too, just like your dad. You'll fall in love, and have twelve kids! You're the most loyal, brave, bold, clever, intelligent, and irritating boy I've met. But that doesn't stop me from being your best friend. Even though I've only been close friends with you for about two months, it's felt like forever. I can't imagine my life without you, messing up your hair and goofing off. I don't want you to ever forget me either, and I wish you love with whoever you're going to marry."

James saw her brilliant emerald eyes brimmed with tears. They embraced against. He never wanted to let her go. He had kept his thoughts to himself; he really had wanted to say that he wanted to fall in love with her, only marry her, have twelve kids with just her, be successful with her, and fight the war with her at his side. He hoped that she would eventually see that they were made for each other. As for now, he would settle for them being best friends. His own hazel eyes were now filled to the brim with tears. He was terrified of what was really out there. He was terrified of Lily leaving him, of Lily forgetting him, of Lily getting married to a handsome stranger one day. He pulled her tighter, and in return she hugged him tighter. Lily didn't want to ever move; she was the happiest person alive. They only way she could possibly be happier was if… No, that was a bizarre thought, forget about it.

After many long moments, they broke apart and smiled at each other, and Lily wiped the tears off James's cheek. He grinned and grabbed Lily's hand. They continued on their way to the Owlery, hand-in-hand with their newly coloured red handcuffs. This was one night that they would remember for the rest of their cruelly shortened lives.

**A/N: I just missed updating Sunday, my parents have the internet turn off at midnight everynight, and once I finished, I saw it was 12:01, grrr**


	13. Chapter 13: Importance of a Doe

Disclaimer for all future chapters: JKR owns Harry Potter and such.

**Sorry about the slow update; school, diving, gymnastics, and now a job (lifeguard!) all keep me from writing. I also was just in Disneyworld for marching band for spring break, which was chaotic. In the summer it'll be loads better. It's raining right now, yay for rain :D**

Importance of a Doe

Hogwarts in the fall was breath-taking. It was now mid-November and the leaves had fully changed from healthy green to brilliant shades of red, yellow and orange. The students were getting used to their hectic classes and were now in control of the study hours. Things overall were just winding down.

The two Head students were currently sitting in their common room, peacefully working on the new Potions essay. James Potter was scribbling furiously; he wanted to be done with Potions, one of his worst classes. Lily Evans placed her quill down, finished and satisfied with her essay. She began to message her cramped hand and looked around the room, bored, where her eyes found James's wand.

She reached over to it and picked it up. She was twirling it around, wondering if it would work for her. James dropped his quill and looked over at Lily with an amused expression.

"Watcha doing Lils?"

"Nothing really, Jamie, wondering if your wand would work for me," Lily said, attention still on the wand.

James winced at the nickname, "Jamie" but said, "It works okay with Sirius and Remus, go ahead and try." He continued to write his paper. Lily looked at the wand. It was rather different then hers but not in a bad way. Lily wand's felt familiar and kind, so had James. She flicked it towards his paper, attempting to have it fly off the table, instead-

"Bloody hell!" James exclaimed, "What did you do?"

"I dunno; what did I do?" Lily said, thoroughly amused.

"You made the ink disappear!" James said; he wasn't angry though. He had a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Serious?" she said, glancing at his now blank papers.

"No, I'm James, 'member?"

"Oh you," Lily said smiling; James looked at his now blank papers disheartened, "Do you want me to rewrite for you?"

"Nah, Slughorn probably memorized your handwriting, so I'll just rewrite it, but you owe me a favor now!" He tapped her on her nose once before going back to his now blank parchment. She sighed out of boredom; she knew that rewriting the essay was going to take awhile. She glanced around the comfy common room. The fire was crackling and dying. The portraits of the past Heads were starting to settle down and began to ready for bed. It must've been nearly midnight now. She looked down at the handcuffs and noticed they were still red. She had a pretty good clue what red meant, but she was in denial that the colour would ever change. Lily Evans and James Potter belonged as friends and friends only.

James looked over at Lily while thinking of what he was writing before the ink vanished. He saw her looking at the handcuffs and glanced at the handcuffs as well. It shone a deep red. He had a good guess what red meant, and he had high hopes that it would happen. He had thousands of romantic plans in his head, but he knew it was too early for the idea to settle in Lily's brain. He knew he had to wait, and he would do anything for Lily.

**~.:.~**

The seventh year Gryffindors woke up the next morning groggily and ambled to the Great Hall. After breakfast, they slowly walked to their first class of the day, Defense against the Dark Arts. The teacher was a retired Head Auror, Professor Slater. He was a tough professor to please but at the same time, enjoyed students and teaching. He was one of the best professors they've had during their seven years at Hogwarts.

"If everyone could sit down!" Professor Slater started, and the room fell silent, "Good. Since we have completed refreshing on silent spells, we are moving onto our new unit of defensive spells. Today will be patronuses. Patronuses are a defense against Dementors and Lethifolds. What is interesting about the spell is that it will take the form of an animal that you are most like. The spell is quite difficult and it will be extra credit for those who perform it. It will not be mandatory. The incantination is _expecto patronum_. While you are saying the incantination, focus your mind on your favorite memory. It needs to be a particularly happy memory for the spell to work. We will work on this for the next two lessons. Go ahead and start. I will be here for anyone's help."

The seventh year Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors started to work excitedly. "This is one class I'm glad I didn't ditch!" Sirius said excitedly.

"I wonder what animal I'll represent!" Mary said, equally excited. The classroom was full of excited buzzes. James, Sirius and Peter all looked at each other. They were all guessing that their animagus forms would be the same as their patronuses.

For the next half hour, the classroom was full of frustrated, "_expecto patronum!_"s. The first one to get a silver shield was Remus. James and Sirius patted him on the back, and Professor Slater awarded Gryffindor ten points.

Lily was having problems having her silver wisps taking form. She couldn't pick out a single memory that made her happy. She tried when she received her Hogwarts letter, when she met Alice and Mary and became their best friends; she even tried memories with Severus! Nothing she could think of was helping her get past the wisp. She wracked her brain for a better memory, anything really. She remembered when she and James had agreed to become friends, would that work? "_Expecto patronum!_" A silver cloud appeared now.

"Hey, at least yours is getting bigger!" James said, envious, "_Expecto patronum!_" A large cloud of silver now appeared from his wand. "Hey, whatta know?"

Lily grinned; she racked her mind for another memory, when Lily fell down the hill with James and Sirius? No, that wasn't entirely pleasant. How about when they- no, that couldn't work, could it? They kissed months ago, it was already mid-November now, and it wasn't even a huge kiss. The back of her mind nagged her, _why not try?_ _"Expecto patronum!"_

A large white doe appeared from her wand, and it shocked her so much that she gasped and her concentration was lost. With a faint pop, the doe disappeared. James, Remus, Sirius and Peter all looked at each other. James with clear excitement, Remus with mild humour, Sirius with shocked look, and Peter was confused.

"James!" Sirius said, excitedly, "Did you see that?"

"Yes I did, Padfoot," James said to Sirius, trying to shush him, "Great job, Lily!"

"Thanks," she said with a confused look on her face. What was so weird or important that her patronus was a doe?

Professor Slater walked over, "Congrats Miss Evans, I award Gryffindor twenty points for its apparent success."

James and Sirius were now close to each other, whispering, Sirius slightly louder then James, Lily could hear fragments. "But James, a doe! You can-! But they're the same! …belong!"

Lily cleared her throat and James looked over at Lily apologetically. "What are you two whispering about?"

"The irony of your doe," Sirius said blatantly. Lily shot a confused look towards James, who merely shrugged.

"Sirius is on who knows what today; don't listen to him."

"But Prongs, you-oomph" Sirius started, by James cut him off by elbowing him in the stomach.

Lily now gave Remus a questioning look, and he replied with a knowing, amused look and went back to working.

"What is Sirius talking about?" Lily asked James.

"Do you trust me?" James asked seriously.

"Of course, why wouldn't-" Lily said obviously, but was cut off by James.

"You don't want to hear the answer, at least not now." This led to even more confusion on Lily's part. What was so important about a doe?

**A/N: So I missed the 12:00 bedtime again; its 12:25 as we speak. I really hate this internet thing right now. Ah well, bugger. Does anyone own a turtle tortoise? How about an African dwarf frog? Message me or tell me in a review!**


	14. Chapter 14: Winter Wonderland Surprises

Look at chapter 13 for the disclaimer if you desire.

**A/N: I had no school today, and bed-ridden for allergies again, so tada. So my laptop officially died two days ago. The screen part and keyboard part is only connected by a wire, nor does it play audio. One too many drops I guess! Also I'm not sure if the messages/review replies got to you guys, but thanks so much to Joelle8, BlistersOnMyFingers and sunstar fairy for the reviews! You guys cheered me up insanely! Also thanks to BrillantBlonde and GrangerDanger112 for adding me to your alert! **

Winter Wonderland Surprises

_"You don't want to hear the answer, at least not now." _

"Well, when will I want to?" Lily asked, extremely confused.

Remus chipped in, "I guessing New Years."

Sirius snorted, "I give it a month!"

Peter squeaked in, "I give it until Christmas!"

**.:.:.:.**

By lunch, James seemed his chipper self. Lily was still extremely confused but settled for the fact she would eventually understand the importance of her doe. Alice and Frank were still talking about their own corporal patronuses they had, Alice with a swan and Frank with a goose. It fit them immaculately, because they were very similar, yet Alice was more graceful and Frank more clumsy and awkward.

"By the way," James said towards Lily, "don't forget that favor that you still owe me."  
Sirius snorted in his food, "What kind of favor?" Remus chuckled but clopped Sirius all the same.

Lily blushed at the innuendo but answered, "Do you have something on your mind already?"

"Nah, just making sure you remember," James answered cryptically.

Sirius whispered over to Alice, the only one who would appreciate his innuendos, "Oi, he has plenty of idea of favors that Lily could do…in bed." Alice smirked. Sirius and Alice would become friends through these moments and would remain so after Hogwarts and well into their Order of the Phoenix careers.

Since it was only mid-November, most students were not looking towards to Christmas Break yet. The seventh year Gryffindors were not a part of that said students. They all planned on meeting at Alice's for Christmas Eve and James's for New Years. All of them wanted to be freed from the homework duties, even if it was for two weeks. Lily and James really had no idea what was going to happen over the break… with their handcuffs, of course.

**.:X:.**

Although, there were plenty of unsaid questions, neither of them voiced them. That was, until a late night in the beginning of December, Lily asked, "James, what if we have the handcuffs over winter break?"

James truthfully answered, "I dunno. When we first got them on, I didn't even think of the possibility of them being on for this long."

Lily thought back onto when she'd first had it placed on; she grinned, "Yeah, being anywhere without you now seems impossible."

"Oh, trying to get rid of me now?" James said, grinning, eyes twinkling.

"Of course not, Jam," Lily said. She was trying to find a fitting nickname for James; she was not successful.

"Jam?" he said questioningly.

"Yeah, definitely not my most brill one, I admit. There's Jam, Jamie, Jumble, Jumbles, Joe-"

"Yes, Lils, I know all of your lovely nicknames," James said. He didn't need to find a nickname for her. She was Lily, Lils or Lily-flower.

Lily suddenly gasped, ruining the quiet atmosphere of the Head's Commons and making James on alert, looking for the threat or possible danger.

"Look, James!" she said with obvious innocent excitement, "It's snowing!"

"Godric Gryffindor, Lily! You never gave me a nervous attack, you did!" James said, obviously relieved that there was no danger.

"Sorry," she said sheepishly and smiled, "I always love the first snowfall, don't you?"

"Yes, that means snow ball fights, break, holidays-" James said dreamily.

"I think we should go on a walk," Lily said suddenly, interrupting James.

"That," he said, "sounds like a magnificent idea."

They bundled up with their scarves and winter cloaks and made their way outside. They knew that they would not get into trouble with any professors or Filch; Heads could get away with anything.

Hogwarts looked absolutely brilliant. The snow had blanketed over everything, and there was snowflakes gently falling with silent grace. The full moon had illuminated the purity and innocence of the snow.

They walked around to the edge of the Black Lake, bantering and playfully bickering. They admired the newly fallen snow on the tree's branches, and the glow of landscape, even though it was nearing midnight. The sat down, looking at the Black Lake and the shimmering full moon reflection. They were talking about first year Christmas when the gears in James's head began to click; he exclaimed, "Lily! It's a full moon! We can't be out here tonight!"

Lily who was enjoying the winter wonderland was on alert at once and looked up to the moon to see for herself. "Oh bloody hell."

They quickly picked themselves up and started to hurry back to Hogwarts. Before they could retreat back to safety, however, they were stopped dead in their tracks.

"Oh bloody hell," Lily repeated.

**A/N: Like it? Dislike it? Tell me in a review. So I was sick again this weekend, what joy allergies bring to me, I can't even explain… I couldn't even sleep last night/this morning, so I figured I'd write a chapter. I'll read this in the morning because there's probably a septillion grammar errors. Someone give me a random word to put into the next chapter. It's a week until my 16th birthday (:**


	15. Chapter 15: Hitting Realizations

**A/N: I'm so incredibly sorry. I don't deserve you guys. Yeah, confirmation, finals, PSAE's, ACT's, chemistry, English speeches and Lifeguarding training (guess what? I can save a drowning person two different ways now! Hooray for being certified in Red Cross and Ellis lifeguarding…) kept me occupied all of this month (and a large majority of last month). And I completely love you guys (: 6 reviews? Unbelievable (:**

Hitting Realizations

_"Oh bloody hell," Lily repeated._

A large black dog was running at them. James looked at the dog questioningly. Lily, on the other hand, was a little more restless. "James!"

"It's all right Lily," James said, focusing on the dog. Once the dog came upon them, he said, "Padfoot? What are you doing?"

"What am I doing? What the bloody hell are you doing? It's a full moon, Prongs!"

Lily was speechless. The exact spot where the panting black dog stood a moment before was now accompanied by a human. And not just any human, Sirius Black stood here now, yelling. _Am I high? Or am I asleep? Because that could not of just happened…_

"We know it's a full moon, Padfoot! We were just leaving right as you saw us!"

"Allright," Sirius said, easing off a bit. "Let's go."

Lily, still pondering if this illusion was caused by some drug or potion or by her subconscious, looked around. Behind Sirius, a menacing silhouette in the moon's way. A howl pierced the calmness as like before a storm.

Sirius and James looked out for the source of the howl. A string of swear words came out of both of the boy's mouths when they found Remus. Both boys looked at each other, then back at Lily.

"Shit, Lily. I'm going to try something all right?" Lily who thought she was still must've been dreaming all of this nodded. Before her, where James had stood seconds prior, a brilliant stag appeared. She also felt a breeze on her hands and looked down. Where the handcuffs had been, there was nothing.

_This seriously must be a dream then… James and Sirius being animagi, and the handcuffs are off? Godric, what did I eat before I went to bed? I don't remember falling asleep though…_

The stag was now lifting Lily and sprinting towards the Hogwarts entrance. James ran along the shore of the Black Lake. Lily felt the wind on her face. Suddenly, it hit her. This was no dream; it was no nightmare. She looked behind her and saw the werewolf sniffing about for human flesh. Her human flesh…

The stag was quicker than the werewolf, and Lily and James made it to the entrance with the werewolf still moments away. Lily jumped off the stag's back and ran toward the door. She yanked on it, and it remained shut.

"Shit!" she yelled, yanking on the door, "No, James! It's locked!" She looked into the stag's hazel eyes; he motioned her to stay. He ran towards the werewolf full speed and rammed Remus. James felt a pang of regret as the werewolf whimpered, but James knew that this wasn't his friend. This was the monthly monster that took control of him. **(hehe, Remus PMSing)**

Lily had no idea what to do. The doors were locked, by Dumbledore's magic, and there was no doubt that it would be able to be intruded by Lily. James had motioned her to stay, but do what? She couldn't just stand here. She wanted to help James, have him sit here while she could hold off Remus. She wanted to do something for Godric's sake!

She looked at James and Remus' battle with terror. Remus was trying to claw James while James tried to push Remus back into the forest.

James could feel lines of warmness on his back. He knew it was blood, and it would leave scars on his human body, but he couldn't stop fighting. He wanted Remus as far as possible from Lily. The moon would not set until the at least a couple hours. He would have to fight until then…

What felt like days later, James pushed Remus with his last ounce of strength. Remus was far enough away now to not smell Lily's flesh. The werewolf looked at James for a second before fleeting in the opposite direction, deep into the forest. James limped the way back to the Hogwarts castle.

He saw Sirius (in his human form) and Lily looking out for him. James hobbled back to them and transformed back a few feet away. The grasp on his wrist told James that he was back as a human. The handcuffs were back on again.

Sirius pulled off James's shirt. "Bloody hell, Prongs!" Sirius exclaimed, "You're covered in scratches! This will not heal by itself mate!"

James, who was near fainting, smiled, "Good thing Lils wants to become a Healer." And with that, James passed out.

Sirius turned to Lily, "You know healing spells?"

"Yes, the simple ones. I can fix broken bones, and stitch up the skin," Lily answered. But she did not need Sirius to tell her to start. She was already flicking and pointing her wand at James's various wounds. After a moment or two, Lily looked at Sirius, "Done." Sirius looked at James; his foot looked normal once again, and all the wounds had fresh new skin over it. "It will most likely scar, but I figure that's better than him having to go to Madame Pomfrey..." Lily said. She tenderly pulled his shirt back over his head. She had felt an immense wave of relief when James hobbled back over here. He had risked his life to save hers.

"Thank you so much Lily. Bloody hell, yes it is better than going to the infirmary. Our secret would be blown if we had to go there." Lily looked at James's face; his glasses were crooked. She affectionately shifted them back into place.

_He really had a golden heart, James did. Just sometimes his arrogance hid it,_ Lily thought inside her head.

"We better get him in the castle now, how can we get in?" Lily asked while she tenderly magicked James onto a stretcher she conjured.

Sirius led the way through the shrieking shack and through the tunnel. They carefully went through the corridors and arrived at the Heads. They gently got James's through the portrait entrance when Lily gasped.

"What? What did you see?" Sirius said alarmed, looking around the room with his wand out.

"Nothing, I just realized something!" Lily said excitedly.

"Bloody hell, no need to alarm me! What did you figure?" Sirius said, letting go from clutching his heart.

She felt her stomach fall a little bit; she now understood everything. She looked at James. She couldn't believe how dense she was. It was blatantly obvious; if it had teeth, it would've bit her. Her heart now raced. She didn't want to tell Sirius.

"Lily, it looks like you've solved a murder, and I'm the murder. What's going on?"

Lily paused, biting her lip, "Can you not tell James?" Sirius shifted uncomfortably. Lily pressed on, "I'm going to tell him, just not now."

Sirius exhaled and replied, "Oh, okay, what's going on then?"

"I… I-I think I know what James has been getting at forever now."

**So I'm going to prom? Awesome. Too bad that I'm not a girly girl who enjoys dressing up…**

those notes are sooo easy im shocked they dont have an std!those notes are sooo easy im shocked they dont have an std!


	16. Chapter 16: A Little Bit of an Aftermath

**A/N: Oopsies, I forgot to tell you guys that I changed my penname from marauderxforever to Lenners. Long story short, I wear glasses. Thanks so so much to PinkDude64!**

A Little Bit of An Aftermath

"I'm all ears," Sirius said, now immensely interested.

Not knowing how to word it correctly, Lily started, "Well, you know that he always hints at me and him, being together?"

"Yes, and having a fairytale happy ending?"

Lily swallowed, "Yeah, something like that." She paused; Sirius motioned her to move on. "Well, I think that we might, actually be y'know…"

"Lily Evans," Sirius said grinning his fullest, "are you saying that you actually like James Potter?"

She blushed, "I think I might."

Sirius let out a low whistle, and grinned again, "It only took you forever! When are you going to tell him?"

"I dunno, when it feels right."

"Oh bullocks, that's cruel," Sirius replied. Lily looked at him quizzically. "He's practically loved you for years, and now you're waiting for the right moment?"

"And this Sirius, is the difference between an actual relationship and a fuck-and-chuck," Lily said laughing. Sirius opened his mouth to fully come-back, but Lily cut him off, "I won't string him along for long; just please don't tell him. Okay?" When Sirius nodded, she continued, "But I think we all need our rest, so I'll see you tomorrow, yes?"

Sirius nodded again and turned to leave, but he abruptly turned around and squeezed Lily, "Welcome to the family."

Lily gave him a questioning look, only to be cut off by Sirius, "No, shush," he signaled silence by touching finger to his lip, "no words." And with that, Sirius Black left the Heads.

"Oh he's a weird one allright," Lily said to no one in particular. She looked at James and felt her heart skip a beat. She then looked at the handcuffs again. _Why did the cuffs just disappear when James turned into his stag? I'll ask him when he's awake…_

**.:.:.**

"So what happened after I passed out?" James asked the next morning.

Her and Sirius shared a significant glace towards each other. They replied, "Nothing," at the same time.

"Okay, because that's not obvious…" he started, waiting for them to answer, "No really, what happened?"

Sirius answered this time, "Well, Lily healed up your wounds from ole Moony, then we brought you upstairs, and after-"

"I put you to sleep," Lily cut him off.

"Where is Remus anyways?" James asked, not questioning their behavior.

"Up in the infirmary, he apologizes for last night," Sirius said, with a mouthful of waffles in his mouth. Lily winced, "But apparently, he's not the only one who's done damage. He says he was covered in bruises when he transformed back."

James winced, not at Sirius's mouth but from recollection from last night, "I should probably go and apologize for that."

Sirius waved his hand as to wave away thought, "He always understands it's nothing personal."

"Oh and last night, I wondered something," Lily said; Sirius started choking, "Why did the handcuffs just disappear when you tran- …changed?"

James chewed his food thoughtfully and swallowed, "I think it might be because Dumbledore attached you and me and our moods. They moods of an animal are much less complex then what humans have."

Sirius took this into **(no pun intended) **seriously. "So being an animagus can be used to bend even more rules?" Sirius grinned at the thought, "Awesome!" He quickly jumped off the bench and ran out of the Great Hall.

"I don't suppose we'll see him till tomorrow!" Lily said, laughing.

James nodded his head, laughing, "He's one strange fellow." He paused for a few moments, "Do you want to go visit Moony?"

"Sure," Lily said, "is he even going to be up for company?"

James shrugged, "He always says that he doesn't need the company, but I think he enjoys us being there."

"Then to the infirmary we go!" Lily said, jumping to her feet.

James scrutinized her, "You've got a lot of energy for someone who's just gotten less than five hours of sleep."

"Who needs sleep?" she said sarcastically.

James noticed the bags under her eyes and her eyes were all red, "Did you even sleep at all last night?" Lily mumbled something incoherent. "Speak quietly, won't you?" he said grinning at her.

"Nightmares," Lily said simply.

"Oh Lils," James said regret filling his voice, "I'm sorry! I should've-"

Lily laughed, "What? Stop being unconscious? It's fine, James, really."

And with that, they arrived at the infirmary.

**Yeah, it's a filler, deal with it :P But yeah, I'm a little sad about the one review I got, but I do deserve it. I'm a crappy updater. Anyhoo, if anyone you realize it's been more than 2 weeks without a chapter, PM me please? Or leave something on my formspring. The link is in my profile. I love you all that ever read these :D**


	17. Chapter 17: Strange Dreams, Weird Convos

Strange Dreams and Weird Conversations

"Hey Remus, how are you feeling?" Lily asked.

He smiled, "All right," he paused, "how are you?"

"Perfectly fine," he gave her a look, "No really, I'm good!" she insisted.

Remus glanced over at James, "And you?"

"Fine, you know little cuts and scrapes, no worries mate. It looks like I should be the one apologizing. I'm so sorry that I did that; I was only-," James started, but Remus cut him off.

"It's fine; it's fine. Madame Pomfrey fixed me all up," he said, shaking his hand as to shoo away the bad feelings.

They chattered to Remus until it was nearing lunch. They said their farewells and left for the Great Hall again. There they ate lunch and spent the rest of their day in the Gryffindor common with all their friends. It was around 3 that Remus discharged and was able to join them. A couple hours later, the group headed down to the Great Hall.

"YES!" Sirius exclaimed once he saw the food that was being served for desert, treacle tart. He shoved it his mouth and said delightfully, "It tastes so good in my mouth!"

James snorted, and Sirius looked at him questioningly. "Think about it long and hard, Padfoot…" But by the time he finished his sentence, it was too late; the damage was done. He looked down and started shaking his head, laughing.

Suddenly, Lily yelled out, "Just put some butter on it, Peter! Who cares if it's already mushy!" This caused a whole new wave of laughter in Sirius, James and now Alice. Frank plopped down next Alice.

"Sorry love, extra studying in the library," he kissed the top of her head.

"They're all being inappropriate so you didn't miss anything," Alice said, giggling a little bit.

Frank's eyebrows came together, "Sorry, come again?" Needless to say, Sirius, James, Lily and Alice blew up in laughter.

"I am no good at these types of jokes! It's just too hard!" Mary exclaimed. A whole new wave of laughter consumed the four again, Frank now chuckling and Remus was shaking his head grinning.

They were all silent, waiting for someone else to say something when Peter yelled, "Let's go swimming!" The group paused, not knowing what to say when Peter mumbled, "I say things like that to lighten the tension when things sort of get hard."

The group collapsed in laughter.

**.:.**

The dinner had made their night, and they were soon enough, making their way up the dormitories, stopping for a few moments to laugh. By the time the group made it to the seventh floor, they seemed drunk as skunks.

**.::.**

"Hey Lils, wanna go visit Sirius to make sure he's packed?"

"Sure, you finished, right?"

"….Of course!" James answered grinning. Lily stared at him, "Of course I finished Lils, just playing with you!"

She rolled her eyes, "All right, let's go."

They made their way slowly down the corridor to the common rooms of the Gryffindor, chatting on the way there. They climbed the dormitory's stairs to find Sirius lounging on his bed, clothes everywhere but his trunk.

"I've tried everything to get him to pack, but nothing's worked. Thank Godric you're here," Remus said, relieved that he could now pack his own things.

"Sirius?"

"Yes, my prongies-poo?" Sirius replied in a sing-songy voice.

"Why don't you pack?"

Sirius pranced to the bathroom, "Oh dang, I have constipation issues right now, hold on!"

James rolled his eyes and turned to Lily, "He always puts off packing. Godric knows why he hates it so much."

"But we're leaving for Christmas break tomorrow, surely he knows he can't put it off anymore."

"He procrastinated it so much that he actually didn't pack fourth year." Lily looked at him incredulously.

Sirius peeked out the bathroom door to see if James was there; he promptly closed the door when he saw him.

"Padfoot! Let's go! You know you have to pack; I know it; Lily knows it; Peter knows it, and Remus knows it. Bloody hell Sirius, c'mon!"

Sirius, in return, started to sing in an extremely loud voice, "I WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS, I WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPP Y NEW YEAR!"

James unlocked the door and dashed inside, dragging Lily. Sirius started screaming like a seven-year-old girl. James rushed out of the bathroom, dragging Lily again, and opened the door quickly. Instead of getting Sirius, like Lily had thought, he came out with Sirius's conditioner.

"Pack the trunk or the hair product gets it."

Sirius got wide-eyed, "You wouldn't!"

"I will," James answered, the bottle slowly slipping.

"Don't defenestrate it!" Sirius began throwing things in his trunk, filling it. "Happy?"

"Did you put underwear in there this time?" Remus said, not even looking while his back was to Sirius while Remus packed his own things.  
"Oh, one momo," Sirius went to his drawer and threw various pieces of clothing in the trunk, "Hokay, it's good. Can I have my conditioner back now?"

James chuckled and tossed Sirius his hair products all the same. "Ready to go?" he asked Lily.

Lily shook her head at the whole scene, "That's all what we needed to do?"

James nodded, and they both waved goodbye, "Yeah, I had a streak of genius right then. Two years ago, it took a good four hours." At Lily's look of incredulous, he continued, "No really! Last year, we just got so fed up that we packed it for him."

They made their way through the Fat Lady's portrait walked down the corridor to their common room. They chatted for an hour more before heading to bed. They retired to their bed around midnight. But Lily awoke loudly around three in the morning, waking James up too.

"James?" she asked sleepily.

"Yeah?" he answered equally as sleepy as she. She turned over to face him.

Unexpectedly, their lips touched. Before James could respond, Lily pulled away and went back to sleep.

_What the bloody hell?_ James thought and wanted to ask, but he didn't want to wake Lily.

Lily turned around in her sleep and snuggled next to James. This really perplexed him. _Looks like I gotta wait until morning…_

He happily fell asleep with Lily in his arms.

**Lily's POV hours before.**

"Night James."

"Night Lily."

She turned over and surprisingly fell asleep promptly.

"_So, I'm hanging upside down, yelling at Sirius for using Levicorpus, Sirius is giggling at me being upside down, Remus is trying to not absolutely lose his marbles because Peter accidentally smeared jelly all over his newly finished Defense 'study guide', "James said, putting air quotations around the phrase 'study guide', as if he's never heard of such a thing, "while Peter is too occupied with eating his food, and that," he paused, "is why I was late to my OWL's."_

_ "Well then," Lily said, looking at him quizzically, "I guess you and your friends are quite crazy."_

_ James looked at her incredulous, "Have you just come to realize that?"_

_ Lily grinned, "No, I realized that on the train ride to Hogwarts first year. Y'know when you and Sirius tried to walk in on me when I was changing into my robes."_

_ The tips of James's ears turned red and he mumbled, "Sorry 'bout that."_

_ "Yeah, well, I lectured you for a good half hour about it then, I'm pretty sure we're good." They were silent for a few moments. _

"_Lily," James paused, deciding to go for it or not, "I know I've asked you this many times before," he started as Lily's stomach began to flutter, she knew what he was going to say, but she didn't know what would be the answer, "but I've changed since then. You know for a fact I haven't hexed anyone for weeks, except for Sirius with a silencing charm, which I'm sure everyone in the Common Room appreciated," he rambled, "But really, I'm not that git that asked you out all those times in fourth, fifth and sixth year. Dumbledore even made me Head Boy! So he must think I'm decent… or maybe he is really off his rocker. But the whole point of this conversation is, Lily Evans, will you go out with me this weekend?"_

_He looked at her, his hazel eyes, flecked with gold, bored into hers. Her heart sped up and her stomach continued to flutter like no other. She thought of how nice the year has been. Especially how nice is it to be with James. She bit her lip; she really had no reason not to agree. But she was so afraid to officially let James in. She was so scared to give herself the chance to actually fall for James. She breathed in, and replied with a one word answer. "Yes."_

_James light up like a muggle Christmas tree, "Really?"_

_She grinned like no other, "Yes."_

_He picked her up and spun her around, when her dream shifted to her as a little child, playing on the swings. But instead, Petunia was a witch too, but she had green skin and a wart on her nose. _

Lily violently woke up and opened her eyes, seeing James. In her sleepy mind, she had finally said yes to him. They were officially seeing each other now. Her heart filled with happiness. "James?"

**Thanks so so so so much for the reviews! Ten? I love you guys! Thanks to:**

**pinkdude64 (I used your word finally!), Kiley_1_09(thanks so so much), bookworm1545 (I laaike you (; ), peridot82697 (is your birthday August 26****th****, 1997?), Joelle (it did indeedy!), BlistersOnMyFingers (haha, Kelly, I might use that one day (; ), (haha, your pen-name is quite funny), witchyromy (it's coming soon, I swear!), .DeViLz SpAwN. (hello!), -Peverell (your review siriusly made my week!).**

**Thanks also to:**

**Blueeyedgirl3 (I am also blue eyed), bookworm1545 (hiiii), blondeprincess1913 (I am also blonde), xsodapopx7 (I have not drank soda in a year), peridot82697 (suppp?), jp'slover4life (I also love James), .DeViLz SpAwN. (how are you?), -Peverell (oh! I know you!), icecreamx3 (I literally just had ice cream 15 minutes ago).**

**So I saved a life today. And sun poisoning. If you review, I'll message you how I saved someone's life. It's real chizz I swear.**


	18. Chapter 18: Beginning of Christmas Break

Beginning of Christmas Break

Lily yawned and woke up as the sun began to rise. She rubbed the sleepies out of her eyes and looked over at James. His arms were wrapped around her, like every other morning. She sighed and moved out of his embrace. At the sight of his face, she recollected last night. "Oh bloody hell."

She was extremely confused. _What was a dream? What was real?_ She tried to separate the dreams. _ Obviously the one with Petunia was a dream, and then does that make the other one a dream? Shit! Fuck! _Lily thought a slur of other swear words.

She had kissed James because her dream had made her think that she was really going out with him. _Am I really that bloody dense? What did I do that for? What am I gonna do now? He's knows that I like him now! Bloody hell, bloody hell, bloody hell! … I could convince him it was a dream… Could he be that dense? Hell, if I fell for it; he can too…_

Lily attempted to go back to sleep, but it was useless. She lay in bed until she felt James next to her wake up. She shut her eyes closed quickly as she felt James move over.

"Lils, you up yet?"

No answer. She pretended like she was asleep.

"Oh you confusing bird you," Lily heard him say. She expressed no emotion, though she was confused herself. "I swear," he took a breath, "One day you're my best friend, then the next you don't talk much, then after that you love me, then you become back to my best friend, then you love me… What's with birds and their feelings?"

Lily wanted to laugh, but she wanted to hear what else he had to say even more.

He exhaled loudly, "Like honestly, Lils, do I do anything different? You birds are barmy!" he paused. "But completely worth it."

Lily wondered if this was a daily occasion.

"Like last night," he started. Lily's heart started quickly, "what the bloody hell was that about? You kiss me and fall right back asleep!"

Lily guessed this was a daily occasion. She also knew that he wasn't going to believe that it was a dream now.

"Godric, I wish that I could see how you birds think of these things!" he paused, "You do drive us crazy; you know that right?"

Lily waited until when she thought it would be safe for her to wake up. He didn't seem to have anything else to say, so Lily fake yawned and rolled over.

"What time is it?" she asked in a fake sleepy voice.

"Around 8," James answered, being his usual chipper voice, as if the whole one-sided conversation didn't happen, "So, about last night?"

Lily groaned internally. "Uh, yeah," she paused, "I had this dream, and-," Lily started, not quite sure what she was going to tell him.

"HELLO!" Sirius Black busted into the room. "HOW ARE YOU FINE HEADS ON THIS LOVELY MORNING?"

Lily felt like she could go hug Sirius. James threw his pillow at Sirius. "Did you even go to sleep last night?"

"No sireebob, I sure didn't!"

Lily grinned, "How's the hair products?"

Sirius lightly touched his hair as not to mess it up, "Quite swell, don't you think?"

Lily and James smirked. "Could you politely remove yourself room the room Pads? We were kind of in the middle of something here."

Sirius eyes become as big as galleons; he looked at Lily, "You told him?"

James face filled with confusion, "What?"

"Oh, never mind," Sirius began to walk out, "Tata, cheerio, au revoir, aufwiedersehen, slán leat, arrivederci," he yelled out. "uvidimsia!"

Lily laughed, "Oh Sirius."

"Yeah," James said, still confused, "What did he mean?"

"Do we ever understand Sirius?"

James gave her an incredulous look, "C'mon."

Lily sighed, "Can I just tell you later?" He gave her the look again, "I swear I will!"

"Fine," James said. His tone was harsh, but not understanding either.

Lily felt bad; she _really_ should just tell him, except she _really, really_ didn't want to. She sighed, "We should get ready. We have to be at Hogsmeade at 10."

"All right," James answered dully.

They got dressed and showered and grabbed a bite to eat on the train. Lily and James' conversations were short, and Lily felt horrible.

But by the time they were on the train and moving, James seemed his usual self. The whole group made the journey back to King's Cross, while playing various games and talking constantly.

As they pulled into the station, "Wait," Peter said, "What are Lily and James going to do?" Sirius and Alice snickered.

Lily rolled her eyes, "We're going to my house for one and a half weeks, and then we'll switch to James for the rest. Don't worry; we'll be there for the party. Is everyone coming then?"

Everyone gave positive answers, Sirius' being the loudest, "HELL YEAH!"

"Brill, I'll owl you guys with the details after Christmas."

Alice laughed, "Sirius, don't you live there?"

"Yeah, well, I'm excited, okay?"

Peter looked confused, "But what are you going to do while James is at Lily's?"

"Sleep?" Sirius said, "Though I haven't thought of that yet. I can just go bother someone if I get too bored. Don't worry about me!"

Remus groaned, "Please don't pop through everyone's houses unexpectedly again."

Lily shook her head and laughed a little bit. He didn't visit her last year, as they weren't friends last year, but she could easily see Sirius doing that.

As the group left their compartment, they said their goodbyes and such. They gathered their luggage and belongings and left to their families.

James was nervous. It's not like he was meeting Lily's parents as her boyfriend or anything, but he just wanted them to like him.

They got onto the platform and ran through the barrier, as Lily's parents weren't able to run onto Platform 9 ¾. She pointed them out once she found them.

James had seen Lily's parents on various occasions throughout Hogwarts; he just never knew they were her parents. Her mother had a very similar sweet face, with a darker shade of red hair then Lily's and light brown eyes. Lily's father looked not as much as Lily but had brown hair, and Lily had his eyes.

"Mum! Dad!" she said, waving her arm to get their attention. They looked over at her and smiled. Lily and James walked over, and Lily gave her parents hugs and kisses. James smiled and shook Lily's dad's hand.

"Pleasure to meet both of you," James smiled.

"Oh and this is the famous James Potter!" Lily's dad said, smiling. "I'm John Evans, and this is Kathleen, my wife."

They began to walk back to their car. "So, how has this whole handcuff thing worked out for you, pot of Lilies?"

James smirked a little bit at the nickname, "It's been fine, y'know, ups and downs. How are things at home?"

Lily's mom answered, "Good honey, Vernon and Petunia got a house a couple towns over, in Surrey! They've been living a happy married couple life."

Lily's dad, John, unlocked the car, and James helped him load the luggage into the car. Her mom, Kathleen rambled about Petunia and Vernon's house.

"And there is this very good closet, right under the stairs! It's great for storing all their extra stuff!"

"Are they going to be home at all this week?" Lily asked.

Kathleen and John exchanged looks, "We're having them over for dinner tomorrow night." All of them piled into the car. John slid into the driver's seat and started the car. James and Lily listened to Kathleen's gossip from around the neighborhood and family.

James noticed whenever Mrs. Evans laughed or smile, she had the same wrinkles as Lily. James could easily see that Lily would like just like Mrs. Evans in a good seventy years. Magical beings did age slower, but they do get wrinkles eventually.

They pulled into the Evan's house driveway soon enough and brought the luggage inside the family home. The house was charming; it was the perfect size for an average family. It was nicely decorated and updated.

The backyard was most magnificent though. James was looking at it in awe. There were no flowers, as it was the middle of winter, but it had beautiful landscaping.

Lily laughed, "You like the backyard? My mom loves gardening, as if you couldn't tell from mine and my sister's names."

James laughed, "I kind of guessing someone was a fan of flowers in the family."

Kathleen walked up and smiled, "It's a little dreadful in the winter. All my plants except for those wintergreens are dead."

"It still looks great, Mrs. Evans," James said charming.

"Oh you," Mrs. Evans said, smiling, "You're a charming one."

"Thanks," Mr. Evans said, slipping in the conversation. Mrs. Evans swatted her husband's shoulder.

"I think it's time to go to bed, Kathleen. These teenagers are tired from the trip here, and let's let them enjoy their first day of Christmas break." And so they retired to their bedroom.

"You have a nice home," James said.

"Thanks, I don't know about you, but I don't want to go to bed at 9 o'clock the first day of Christmas break."

"Nope," he laughed, "Neither do I."

"Do you want to watch a movie?"

"Movie?" James said, as if it was word he's never heard before.

"Yes, it's like a book played out on a screen with people."

This had only seemed to confuse James even more. "What's a screen?"

**I know that that wasn't probably the best place, but I'm planning great things for the next chapter. (: Yeah, prom was yesterday (and this morning). I slept over at my friend's house, and we got home at 5:07 AM. I'm a sophomore, so I still have my two proms left! Next year, I will not wear that high of heels. **

**Anyhoo, as soon as I'm done with re-checking this chapter, I'm gonna publish and write the next chapter. Maybe it'll be up by tonight! If you can't tell, I'm kind of excited to write the next chapter.**


	19. Chapter 19: A Funeral, LOL, jk, Deciding

A Funeral… LOL jk, Deciding

Lily laughed at his confused face. "It's something that you look at, and it moves around." She sighed, _how would you describe a television to a wizard?_ "Have you heard of a television?"

"Yes! Those things that you talk to people, but you press numbers in a random order first."

"That's a telephone, James."

James' eyes became as round as galleons, "So now we touch random numbers and see people?"

"Not quite, that hasn't been invented yet." James became confused again. "You know what? How about we just watch it?"

"Awesome idea," James agreed. "So what 'movie' are we watching on the 'telyvision'?" he said, adding air quotes to "movie" and "telyvision".

"Those are both real things, James!" she said, laughing. "We're gonna watch _Grease_." **(just for you, Kelly)**

James wrinkled his nose, "Is that going to gross?"

Lily just rolled her eyes and started setting up the "telyvision"; she turned it on. James gasped, "How'd they get in there?" He pointed to the weatherman. "How are they going to get out?"

Lily burst out laughing. The look on James' face was pure horror; he thought that the people on the television were actually stuck in there. "Don't worry about it, James."

"How can you not worry about it? Those people are stuck in this little box!"

Lily held back her laughter, "Electricity gets them out, okay James? They're fine."

James seemed to relax; Lily laughed inside. He could believe that electricity could get people out of the television, but not that they weren't actual people living in their television. Lily popped in movie and dragged James into the kitchen to make popcorn. James seemed to like the microwave.

"There's no small people stuck in there!" he said excitedly. Lily just shook her head in response. As the microwave started popping the corn, James asked, "So, what was that you wanted to tell me?"

"What?"

"What did you promise to tell me?"

"What?" she said smiling.

"What is this secret that you and Sirius share?"

"What?" she said, biting back laughter.

James's face got extremely confused. All the sudden, the popcorn in the microwave began to pop. "Bloody hell! What is with these muggle 'inventions'?" he said putting air quotes on "inventions".

"Did you even think to take Muggle Studies whatsoever, James?"

"Yeah, briefly, but I honestly find muggle too complicated." The microwave beeped, making James jump. He muttered something incoherent about "muggle inventions".

Lily took the popcorn out and placed it in a bowl. She lead them back into the living room just as the opening scene began to play.

Sometime around Sandy's transformation, Lily fell asleep on James. James looked at her fondly. He could really care less about the "movie". He really wanted to know what she and Sirius were talking, and he was a little hurt that she didn't tell him yet. He didn't dare wake her up; one, she was always angry when she woke up, and two, she looked so peaceful whenever she was sleeping.

James grabbed the remote and scrutinized it. _Volume up/Volume down? No, that can't be it. Channel up/Channel down? No… Input, what the bloody hell? Ah yes, Power Off._

And with that, the room went dark. James hadn't thought of that. It was useless to try to turn the telyvision back on for light; he'd just have to walk slowly. He carefully picked up Lily and began to make the path back to her room walking slowly. He got to her door and opened it slowly. And before he knew it, he was passed out asleep.

**/.:.\ heh, it looks like a tepee**

Lily woke up to the sun shining in her face. She blinked various times, her eyes adjusting to morning rays of light. She found herself in her bed, _James must've have put me in bed last night_. She smiled; he really was sweet, and she knew she had to tell him soon. He was getting annoyed, and she could tell.

She would tell him tonight; she decided. After dinner with Petunia and Vernon, she would.

**I know that this chapter is short and filled with anachronisms. I feel smart using that word. But the truth is, I just had a test on Julius Caesar awhile ago. I had finals today, and I have them for the rest of the week. Then I am halfway done with high school! :D **

**Now, thanks to:**

**periodot82697 (you reviewed x2! Heh, that rhymes), pinkdude64 (yes, unfortunately I cannot lose my brain capabilities yet… two more days…), daizygrl320 (thanks! Your review really brightened my day!), and of course Kelly (you're the reason why this fic is here!)**

**Thanks so much to ****mona moi****, you completely changed around the next couple of chapters (:**

**Oh, and I forgot to tell you, I changed my avatar (: And my formspring URL is on my profile, so all you can ask me my favorite color! And I hope to update with a nice long one (that's what she said… gosh, I'm lame) Tuesday? Possibly like next Friday though.**


	20. Chapter 20: Dinner, Babies and a Show

**Holy crap, 20 chapters? This fic is almost a year old… Whoa**

Dinner, Babies and a Show

Lily was antsy as she and James ate breakfast. James noticed but didn't ask. If she wanted to tell him, she would.

Lily's dad walked into the kitchen as Lily and James were finishing. "Hey Lils, you okay?"

"Wha-a-at?" she stammered.

John Evans laughed, "Got a guilty conscience, Lily-pot?"

James smirked as Lily blushed, "What?" she laughed nervously, "Wha-at would I be g-guilty about?"

"Oh nothing Lils," Mr. Evans grinned. He shared a comical look with James.

Mr. Evans decided he liked James Potter. He could tell that the way she even complained about him in her first year of Hogwarts that he would play some role in her later life. He could also tell how much James cared for his Lily. He often saw the looks of admiration that he gave her whenever she wasn't looking, and he knew that she cared for him, no matter how much she denied it. Not to mention, he was a hell lot better than Vernon. That bloody obese whale…

His wife, Kathleen appeared a few moments after. "Good morning all," she said in a soft voice as always. "Troubles worrying your mind, honey?" she asked towards Lily.

"No, why is everyone asking me that?" she said.

"Because you look like the cat that swallowed the canary," James said smiling. The all looked at James. "What?"

"I thought you didn't understand Muggle culture, James."

"McGonagall has said that to me at least a hundred times now," James said. Lily shook her head in response.

"So, Lily tells me you're a splendid prankster at Hogwarts, a marauder even!" Kathleen said sweetly.

James nodded, "It's always fun to lighten the mood, especially now."

Mr. Evans nodded, "I was quite a prankster back in my time. Tell us some of your personal favorites."  
James did. He told them about filling the Slytherin Common Room waist-deep in pudding, sneaking permanent hair dye in all the dormitories, all matching their house (red for Gryffindor, yellow for Hufflepuff, green for Slytherin and blue for Ravenclaw).

Mr. Evans wiped away the tears from his eyes. "Oh that's a good one. I like that one!"

James told them more of his classic pranks, and soon enough, it was noon, and everyone left the table to get ready for the day.

.:.

The doorbell rang, "Hello, dears, how are you?" Kathleen answered.

"Good, mother, how have you been?"

"Great darling, come see your sister and her friend, James!" Kathleen said excitedly.

James saw a thin woman walk with a horse-like face walk in with a walrus of a man. He shook hands with both of them, "Pleasure to meet you." They said nothing in return.

"Let's eat some dinner," Mr. Evans said, rubbing his hands together.

They passed around the food and began eating. They chattered, but neither of the sisters spoke directly to each other until, "Lily, could you pass the salt?" Petunia said stiffly.

"Sure, Petunia," Lily answered simply back.

"So Lily," Vernon said, shocking everybody, "What are you planning to do after you graduate?"

Mrs. Evans had made Petunia tell Vernon about Lily, "He's going to be part of the family. We need to treat him like it" she said. He knew of her magical abilities and Hogwarts.

"Uh," Lily said, shocked, "I'm actually thinking of becoming a Healer. It's like a magical doctor."

Vernon looked confused, "There's careers for you people?"

Lily looked affronted, "What do you mean 'you people'?"

Petunia answered, "You freaks of nature."

James looked murderous, "Freaks of nature?"

"Petunia!" Kathleen exclaimed.

Lily felt a lump form in her throat. She stood up, "Let's go, James." James obliged quickly. She walked out quickly with James trailing closely. Lily opened the door, but James stopped her.

"At least grab your jacket."

Lily slightly grinned, "I thought you were going to try to stop me."

"Why would I ever do that?" he grabbed her gloves and scarf from the top of closet, which Lily couldn't reach. "I think I've learned not to stop Lily Evans."  
"Thanks," she smiled as she put her jacket on. They walked out into the winter chilly night.

~:~

"So this is the post office," Lily said, pointing her gloved hand to a boring brown office, "And now, we've almost gotten to the park."

There was a stroller with a baby in it; the mother sitting behind it on a bench. The baby seemed cheerful, with its little mittens and hat on.

"You have such a pretty baby," James said, shocking both of the mother and Lily.

"Thanks," she said, smiling.

"How old is she?" James asked.

The mother smiled fondly, "She'll be six months in a couple of days."

James and the mother chattered on. Lily looked at the baby to see it was staring right at her. "Hi baby," she cooed. Her gaze remained on Lily. "What her name?"

"Marie-Ann," the mother said.

"That's a pretty name," Lily said smiling, glancing down at the baby, only to see that the baby still had a fixed glance onto Lily.

"It was wonderful talking to you two. Now you two make an adorable little couple. Have a wonderful day," the mother said, leaving.

Lily furrowed her eyebrows. She was about to ask what when James replied, "You too!"

She looked at him confusedly; "What? She was already walking away; sure, let's yell an explanation to someone's back whom we just met," he finished sarcastically.

She rolled her eyes, "Whatever, but that baby was adorable, but it would not stop looking at me!" James grinned but didn't answer. "What?" she asked.

"You know what they say; babies only stare at pretty people."

Lily smacked his arm as they arrived to the back. It was a normal muggle playground, but it had so many memories for Lily. They wandered over to the swings, and Lily held James hand. James smiled at Lily.

_If only it was more…_

_ If I could only tell him…_

Lily's stomach sunk when she realized it was technically after dinner. She didn't want to have to say it. _Why couldn't he just know? And save me from this embarrassment…_

"So, I believe you owe me an explanation," James said, "but you keep on falling asleep on me."

Lily swallowed, her words failed her, _I like you, James bloody Potter. _

She felt something fall off her hand, as did James. They both looked down to see the glowing red chain on the ground. "What the bloody hell?" James said.

"I guess it was on a timer," Lily said, amazed.

"Three months and 17 days, and it just sort of dies?" James said incredulously, "No, that can't be it."

"Well, what's your theory then?"

"What were you thinking seconds before?"

She flushed red, "Nothing."

"Bullocks," James said. Lily looked at him incredulously. "You've been acting odd the past week, and you won't tell me why!" he said frustrated.

He waited a couple minutes, waiting for Lily to answer, "Can you going to tell me now?"

Lily answered in a small voice, "No."

James sighed, still frustrated, "I'm sorry, Lils. I didn't mean to blow up. I just don't like you not telling me things. Just promise to tell me before I get my first gray hair, all right?"

Lily smiled, "Yeah, allright."

James looked up at the sky, "I think it's time to head home now, Lils."

"Can we walk really slow?"

James grinned, "Fine by me, I don't like either of them; I'm sorry."

"No offense taken." They got off the swings and began walking back. Her heart was pounding. She just wanted to get it off her chest.

"Wait," James said, turning back, "Is the chain still on the ground?"

They both turned around and saw the faint red glow of the handcuffs. James picked it up and placed it in his jacket pocket. "For keepsakes!" he said when Lily gave him a look.

While ambling on their way home, Lily decided she didn't want to keep it in anymore, "So James," she started.

"So Lils," he countered.

"I think I might," she bit her lip and paused.

"Might what?"

"I think I might like you, a lot more then I planned."

James laughed; this confused Lily, "That's good, because you were just going to plan on hating me."

"Yeah," she laughed a little bit, unsure what to say now.

Suddenly, the gears in James' mind began to turn. _…she likes me more then she planned… she's holding my hand… she smiled when I told her she was pretty, no slapping or frowns… The handcuffs are off… they were red…_ "Oh..." he said silently.

"What?"

"Lils, what were you really thinking before the handcuffs broke?" James asked quietly.

"Uh…" she trailed off.

James grinned, "Hey Lils, would you want to go out with me sometime?"

**A/N: I know, I know… I'm a cruel evil person… I'm going to try asap to finish the next chapter, but it's looking like I'm gonna finish it on Sunday… for the next two days I have summer school 8-1, gymnastics 1-4, and then diving 5-7 , oh soreness, I have not missed you. Then Friday I just have work, but I know I'm going to be dead on my feet. Holy shit it's foggy out. Anyhoo, I lurve: mona moi (thanks so much again!), pinkdude64 (I am the same way), cia777 (how's that story coming along? I need to read chapter 13), Kelly (tanks for the Grease idea!), and last but not least Colie21 (tank you, tank you).**


	21. Chapter 21: Long Nights

**I saved another kid's life again yesterday (:**

Long Nights

_`James grinned, "Hey Lils, would you want to go out with me sometime?"_

Lily looked at him incredulously, "Are you serious?"

"No, Lils, I'm James, remember? James Potter, the one who you were handcuffed to for the last three months and seventeen days?" he said grinning, "But really, do you want to?"

She paused; she was ecstatic really, "Yes."

"Yes?"

"Yes, I'd love to go out with you," she began to grin uncontrollably, as did James.

In a very clichéd way, James picked Lily up and swung her around, "It only took three years."

"Oh come here, you," she said, kissing him.

After moments kissing, James pulled away, still grinning like a madman. He glanced around, "As much as I love kissing you, it's getting pretty dark out; we should really be heading home," James said nervously.

"All right," Lily said in agreement, "but first," she took out her wand and muttered a spell. Muggle-like handcuffs appeared on their wrists.

James looked at her questionably, "Lils, we just got those other bloody handcuffs off-," he started, but Lily interrupted him.

"Yes, but I'd rather not have to explain this to my parents just yet, thank you very much. Once we get to your house, we can take them off easily."  
"We're leaving Sunday, yes?"

"Yes, at night."

They continued their idle chitchat until they arrived at Lily's house. Both of them were ecstatic and grinning uncontrollably. James had wanted it for so long and so badly, and now finally, it was. Lily had not wanted it for as long as James did, but she did want just as badly; right at this moment, she could feel her heart pounding in her ribcage.

"Mum, Dad, we're back," Lily said sheepishly as she walked in the door.

"I'm sorry Lily. I didn't think Petunia would be so rude!" Lily's mother exclaimed, hugging her daughter.

"It's fine, Mum," Lily voice came muffled from her mother's embrace.

"And you too, James!" Mrs. Evans said, letting go of her daughter and hugging James.

"Honestly Mrs. Evans, it's fine," James said, patting Mrs. Evans on the back.

Katherine Evans stepped back away from and looked at them fondly, "Oh you two." She walked out of the room; James supposed to leave to her bedroom.

John Evans simply kissed Lily on the forehead and squeezed James's shoulder, "Sleep tight." And with that, he followed his wife.

James glanced at the clock; the green digital numbers read 11:49 PM. He turned to Lily, "I dunno about you, but I'm exhausted."

"Yes, it's been rather a long night," she said grinning and placed her arms around James's neck, kissing him only slightly.

He placed his hands around her waist, "Yes, yes, it has." He kissed her lightly on the lips

**Welcome back summer (: Aka, welcome to picking two: sleep, social life or sports. I chose not sleeping this summer, and oh boy, am I feeling it. I am so sorry about this ridiculously short chapter. I wouldn't even really call it a chapter, but I couldn't stand not posting something. By mid-July, I'll be better with posting. I swear. This chapter seriously took me two weeks to write because of my limited free time.**


	22. Chapter 22: Only Sirius

Only Sirius

Lily woke up the happiest a person can be as she recollected past day's events.

Petunia and Vernon had left by the time Lily and James were back in the house, and both Lily and James were grateful for sleep that night. Lily removed the muggle handcuffs that night, and she and James were to explain tomorrow morning. Surely enough, her parents asked about the handcuffs, and Lily explained that she had finally agreed to go on a date with James. Both parents were equally delighted.

Mr. Evans had sat James down, "So James, you and Lily are going to go on a date, yes?"

"Yessir, as long as it is fine you, I mean," he said nervously.

The crinkles around Mr. Evans's eyes wrinkled as he laughed, "Sure, I'm fine with it, but just as long you treat my Lily right. She may seem fiery and determined, but she really is rather delicate at times."

"I've chased her for nearly seven years now. No way, no how am I going to hurt her," James had said laughing but still with a determined look in his eyes. Mr. Evans patted James on the back and smiled grandly at him with approval.

Lily's mother had just been trilled and asked Lily in private for the details. She obliged happily; she hadn't seen her friends in a week; she was happy to tell someone at least.

James and Lily haven't agreed when to go out formally, but James suggested they could just make it official to their friends at the New Year's party. Lily had fully agreed to that, and that was the extent of their future thinking. The past days had felt so much like fairy-tale to either of them. Without Hogwarts or their friends to worry about, it was as if both of them had been living pleasantly in a bubble.

But only half of the relief had been over. The day was Sunday, and that meant the day Lily and James would leave for Potter's manor, which also meant Lily had to meet his parents, and also that the New Year's party had been encroaching on both of them.

But presently, she rolled over to see James already awake.

"Good morning, love. I imagined you slept well, smiling and all," he said, positively grinning. She grinned and kissed him lightly on the lips.

"Only because I was thinking about how amazing the past few days have been," she said grinning.

James smiled back, "Are you ready to meet my parents today?" Just the question gave Lily the nervous feeling in her stomach. When James had received no answer, he continued, "C'mon, my parents are really going to be happy, and besides, I was just as nervous as you are."

Lily snorted, "My parents just wanted better than Vernon for me, and trust me," she snuggled up to him, "you are much, much better than him."

James grinned and draped his arm around her. He was quick to let go though, as he heard a creak outside. Lily quickly swished her wand and the two twin beds placed next to each other separated by at least four feet.

Mr. Evans's head peeked out of the crack in the door, "Good, you're up. Your mum would like you two down for breakfast soon."

Lily's parents, for obvious reasons, did not want Lily and James sleeping in the same bed together. But secretly, they had been pushing the beds back together but not for intimate purposes. It was an unwelcome strange change when Lily didn't have another body next to hers as she slept. So she had crept in the twin bed James was in, and shared a bed with him for the night.

The next night, however, they had pushed the beds back, secretly, and they had continued to do that every night.

It was strange, now that they were going out but a positive kind of strange. Lily and James had slept in the same bed together for four months; it became a routine, as did doing everything together. James and Lily had felt a loss of presence whenever they did something alone now.

"I suppose we should go accompany your mum for breakfast, Lils," James said, stretching as he was getting up.

She yawned, "Yes, I suppose." They groggily trudged down the stairs and sat themselves at the table.

"Good morning, my dears. I imagine you slept well?" her mother asked as she filled a crossword puzzle out, not even looking up.

"Yes, Mum," Lily said yawning and grabbing a bowl for her and James. She opened the pantry and took a box of cereal out and placed both on the table.

As everyone was enjoying their breakfast, Mr. Evans asked, "So do you have everything packed for today?"

Mr. Evans asked, "So do you have everything packed for today?"

Lily rolled her eyes and swallowed her food, "Dad, we have magic. We can easily pack our stuff in two seconds."

Mr. Evans looks mildly surprised, "You have those types of spells too?"

James laughed, "Yes, I didn't even know there was another way other then magic until I first began at Hogwarts and met Muggle-borns."

Mrs. and Mr. Evans looked incredulous, "Oh the life of a wizard," Mrs. Evans said dreamily.

"But you muggles have those tely machines!"

Mr. Evans let out a belly laugh, "You really have no clue about Muggle culture, do you?"

"Nope!" All the Evans laughed at James's frankness.

.:.

"Are you sure you packed everything?"

"Yes, mum, I'm a hundred percent sure," Lily said, hugging her mother goodbye.  
"Have fun at the Potter's and be respectful!" Mrs. Evans said, hugging her daughter back.

Mr. Evans rolled his eyes, "Lily? Respectful? When is she ever not?" Lily laughed and hugged her father.

"All right, off we go, I'll come visit Christmas, so we'll see you then!" Lily waved goodbye to her parents.

She and James walked outside of their house, luggage in tow. "I'm going to apparate you first, since you don't know where I live, and then I'll come pick the luggage, okay?" James said as they were in the front-line of the Evan's property.

"Brill," Lily said, nerves kicking in slightly. And with that, Lily appeared in the Potter's living room. James was gone a second later.

At the sound of apparation, an aging couple walked into their living room. The woman had beautifully aging features, wrinkles from only laughing and from the sun. Her brown hair had tints red and gray that was barely visible. She smiled immediately at Lily, "This must be the famous Lily Evans! It is so nice to finally meet you!"

Lily smiled, "It's nice to meet you too."

The man stepped out and stuck his hand out; Lily looked incredulously at the resemblance between James and his father. They had same exact hair, jet black untamable hair; Mr. Potter had glasses which were similar to James.

_Bloody hell, even their smile is the same!_ Lily thought inside her head as she shook Mr. Potter's hand.

Mr. Potter laughed at Lily's expression; he had been used to it by now. All of James's friends have had similar looks of surprise. "Hello, I'm Charles Potter and this is my wonderfully beautiful wife," he gestured to the woman beside him who rolled her eyes and lovingly smacked his arm, "Charlotte."

"Pleasure to meet both of you," Lily said charmingly. James reappeared seconds after, with the luggage. Lily sighed of relief silently.

"Mum, Dad," James said smiling and hugging them both. The family love was apparent even from staying in the house for two minutes.

Sirius Black came bounding down the stairs, "Did I hear the beautiful voice of Lily-flower?"

"Yeah, Sirius, we're both here," Lily said, laughing a little.

"Lily-flower!" Sirius exclaimed, squeezing Lily to death; he turned to James, "Prongsie-poo!" Sirius exclaimed, hugging the closest thing to a brother to him.

"Hi Paddie, were you really that terribly bored?"

Sirius looked at James incredulously, "Prongs, I followed Jibby around, their house elf asking her silly questions, like her favorite color, her favorite food, her favorite day of the week and y'know the house elf reproductive system."

"Sirius!" Lily and Mrs. Potter exclaimed in unison. Mr. Potter and James simply laughed.

"Only you, Sirius," James said, clasping Sirius's shoulder.

**I'm icing my fucking back because I'm a dumbass. Like honestly, one could say I was intoxicated from my lack of judgment. Grawrawrawrawr! Anyhoo, tadaaaaa. You guys are quite lucky I have the opposite of writer's block right now, writer's motivation? Anyhoo, cheerio, and have fun on the fourth to my fellow Americans!**


	23. Chapter 23: Preparty

Pre-party

Lily, Sirius and the Potters sat down for dinner soon after arriving. Sirius was happily chattering away to anyone who'd listen, and Lily and James shared loving looks. Sirius, noticing them without their handcuffs, exclaimed, "Hey! Where'd those handcuffs go?"

Lily and James turned slightly pink in the face. James spoke for the both of them, "It was on a timer, Pads." Lily grinned at the mention of the theory of the timer.

"Huh," Sirius said, contemplating, "Who would've known? That silly goose Dumbledore!" He began to giggle like a girly child uncontrollably.  
Everyone in the room turned silent, even the house-elves, even the portraits on the walls and looked at Sirius curiously.

"Sirius? Are you okay?" Mrs. Potter asked gently.

"Oh, I'm lovely thanks for asking," Sirius said laughing.

James began to be concerned for his friend. He gave his best friend a look that easily said, _What the bloody hell?_

Sirius just smiled and shook his head.

Everyone enjoyed their dinner with idle chitchat; Sirius just gibbering on. James stood up, signaled Lily to stand too. Two other house elves, other than Jiggy, cleared their plates quickly. "Thank you!" Lily said, shocking at how quick they were.

"It is no problem, Miss," one of them squeaked out quickly.

"James, why don't you show Lily a tour of the house?" Mrs. Potter suggested.

"Oh! I call being the tour guide!" Sirius said excitedly, hopping up from the table immediately.

.:.

"And this," Sirius said with flourish, "is the laundry room. Well, really you just throw in your dirty clothes, and the houses elves clean them." He walked a little bit farther; mimicking a muggle game show host, he exclaimed, "And this is library, but it's not used often, except for you'd probably like to spend an eternity in there." Sirius glanced at them. "By the way, what really happened to the handcuffs? I know that was not on a timer."

James looked and Lily shocked; she was shocked too. Sirius seemed so oblivious most of the time; it was no wonder they would only look at each other in amazement. "What? There is a reason I'm in all N.E.W.T. classes!" he said, laughing.

"Yes, I've always been quite amazed at that…" Lily said, faking thought.

"Oh Lily-kins, why do you hurt me so?" Sirius said, clutching his heart. James and Lily laughed. "But really, what did happen?"

James looked at Lily, who gave an affirmative nod. "Well, after all these years, she said yes."

Sirius broke out into a huge grin, "I'm so happy for you guys! It only took forever and a day!"  
James came around and hugged Lily from the back, "It was worth every second."

.:.

"Good morning, Lily," Mrs. Potter said, "Did you sleep well last night?"

"I slept lovely last night, thank you," Lily answered sweetly. "You house is magnificent, by the way."

"Oh, thank you, Lily! You are such a charming girl!" Mrs. Potter said earnestly.

"Thank you," Lily said, smiling.

"Hey Lils," James said sleepily, as he walked into the dining room.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," Lily said, grinning at James's appearance. James grumbled in response.

"Jamie, aren't you excited for tonight's party?" James's mum asked.

"Yes, mum. The parties are great every year," James said, taking a bite of toast.

"They are, aren't they?" Mrs. Potter said, reminiscent. Lily and James left the table, leaving the reminiscing Mrs. Potter.

"Nervous, Lils?"

Lily nodded, "Yeah, a little. I mean, there's going to be a bunch of 'old blood' families and the pureblood maniacs, not to mention, we see all of our friends today, officially as a couple."

"Oh c'mon Lily, our friends will be ecstatic," James said reasonably and hugging her. Lily leaned her head onto his chest. "They've been waiting awhile for this." His lips brushed hers, "So have I."

.:.

Lily showered somewhat leisurely. While applying make-up, she realized how lonely she was. She usually was around James around the clock, and whenever she got ready for a social event, her friends and she were crammed into one bathroom. It would have been complicated to get her friends over here, she thought reasonably. _Besides,_ she thought, _when will this ever happen again?_ So, slowly and happily, she got herself ready.

Her dress was made of dark green silk that fell to the floor like a curtain. The back scooped to the small of her back and elegantly clung to her shoulders with thin straps. She magicked her hair into long soft curls. Lily had to admit, the dark green worked wonderfully for her.

A knock on the door startled her, "Lils, are you almost ready?"

It was James, "Yeah, James, I just have to get shoes on. You can come in." She glanced around her room to see where her heels had left. She found them in the corner.

"Good Godric, Lils, you look absolutely stunning!" James said.

Lily blushed slightly, "You clean up nicely too." He had. He was wearing an ink-black suit with a silver tie that had magical spinning swirls. _Of course James couldn't have a normal tie,_ she thought, smiling a little bit.

"Oi, Prongs!" Sirius Black burst into Lily's room. "Does this tie-," he stopped when he realized where he was. "Oops, my bad. Lily, don't you look pretty." James scoffed at Sirius only using the word "pretty".

"Thanks Sirius," she said, laughing a teeny bit.

"What?" Sirius said, "You don't like my outfit?" He struck a pose. He was wearing a vivid red suit, accompanied by surprisingly black tie. The tie had seemed like a black hole, sucking nearby light into it, making it only seem darker.

She shook her head, "Is Mrs. Potter going to let you wear that?"

"Let me?" Sirius said incredulously, "She's the one that picked it out. She loves getting all the old jesters riled up."

James snorted, "Sirius and my mum are a good combination," he paused, "or bad, if you think about it. Mum's got the brains; Sirius has the nerve."

Sirius grinned proudly and put his hands on his hips like a super hero. James shoved him over. "Shove it, Padfoot," James grinned.

"It's seriously time to get down there though," Sirius said, glancing at his watch on his hand.

"Sirius, is it really seriously time to go?" Lily asked with slight sarcasm detectable in her voice.

Sirius sighed, "Yes, Sirius Black just seriously said that it's seriously time to go. Get over the puns, and let's go get smashed!"

**I leave reviews saying "happy writing" most of the time, right? Now I see others saying it when they leave reviews for me, and it makes me smile (:**

**Anyhoo, thanks to: Coliekinz (thanks so much!), pinkdude64 (Yes, that is a good term to use!), monamoi (you're awesome for reviewing!), Joelle8 (I also L/J; most adorable ship, I think), Alice Demer (brill is short for brilliant, sorry if it confused you!), Kiley 1 09 (your review literally made me crack up, like tears of laughter. Made my day).**

**That's 6 reviews for one chapter! You guys are literally the best! :D **

**Also thanks to the many who added this story to their alert or added me to their alert. I could look it up right now, but naahhh, it's 12:37AM. Just really thanks for reading!**

**I challenge you; let's get to 100 reviews by the end of this story (:**


	24. Chapter 24: New Year's Part Un

New Year's Part Un

"It was a pleasure to meet you," Lily said sweetly, shaking what must have been the fiftieth wizard she met today.

"Oh, the pleasure was all mine," the wizard said, thinking it was suave, but Lily thought it sounded slimy. She dropped his hand awkwardly. James led her away with one hand on the small of her back.

"Agrippa, you weren't kidding when you said that there'd be so many people here!"

James laughed lightly, "No, I've gone to so many of these that it doesn't even bother me." He guided her to the ball room, "Care to dance?"

It was a slow song, and Lily hesitated. "C'mon, you better not say you don't dance."

"I guess I'd love to then," she said with a hint of a smile.

"Ace," James said, smiling and bringing her onto the dance floor. She placed her arms onto around his neck, and he respectfully placed his around her waist. Well, as respectfully as he could. As the song progressed though, their bodies mixed together. She placed her head onto his chest and heard his heart beat.

Her stomach was fluttering¸ her face was flushed, her feet ached in the heels and it felt like her heart was like a pinball racking up points. Lily instantly wished that she could stay like that indefinitely.

His hands felt clammy tracing circles in her lower back, his heart was racing, his throat felt restricted from the tie but he wouldn't change one thing about his current situation.

The song ended all too early in both James and Lily's opinion, and James spoke up, "Care for a drink?"

"Sure," Lily responded. He guided her towards the bar, "Wait, alcoholic drink?"

James rolled his eyes, "Yes Lils, c'mon it's new year's eve!" She gave him an incredulous look. "Lily, we're at my house, we're staying at my house, my parents are fine with it, we can sleep all we want tomorrow, and you don't have to get downright sloshed."

Lily still wasn't convinced, so James asked, "Have you even drank anything before?"

"No, but-," Lily started but was interrupted by James.

"But what? One drink won't kill you. Besides, your birthday is in a month from today, and it's perfectly legal then, isn't it?"

She muttered something incoherent. "C'mon, one."

"Fine, but only one!"

"Last famous words…" James muttered under his breath. To the bartender, he said, "Two firewhiskeys for us, please."

Lily stood with the drink in her hand. James saw her hesitancy and said, "You know that in a matter of minutes, our friends will show up and ask trillions of questions, right?"

Lily looked at him, "Bloody hell, I forgot about that." She looked at the liquid in her hand, as if to see if it would tell her what to do. She sighed and took a sip. She immediately grimaced and swallowed quickly. The liquid burned down her throat, and she started to gag.

James laughed at the whole ordeal. It was obvious that she hadn't drank anything relatively alcohol ever.

"How can you drink this?" Lily demanded, disgusted at the alcohol.

James shook his head and swallowed the shot quickly. The typical fire down his throat was nothing anymore. Lily looked absolutely stunned. Her eyebrows were up to the beginning of her hairline.

"How can you do that?" she asked, shocked.

"Well, this is hardly my first drink," James laughed. "Just drink the whole thing."

Lily frowned at the firewhiskey. She quickly brought the glass to her lips and swallowed it immediately. After swallowing, she put her hand over her mouth.

"I don't like alcohol," she simply said.

"Oh, you'll get used to it," James said, laughing at her expression. Her expression, though, quickly turned from disgust to shock to horror in a matter of seconds. "What are you-?" he asked turning around. Behind him were the seventh year Gryffindors, looking at the couple questioningly. "Is telling your friends about us really that terrifying?" he asked, grinning. "I mean, I'm right there, next to you. You don't even have to talk if you don't want-," James said reasonably, but he was cut off by Lily.

"Oh but you will not have the thousands of questions later about how you asked, the tone you used, how I answered, the tone I used, where was it, what time was it, did we kiss, what kind of kiss, what the temperature was," Lily said, listing off each very possible question.

"The temperature? They do not ask about the temperature!" James said skeptically.

"Oh but they do," Lily said, "and I haven't even gotten to the half of the questions!"

James took Lily's hand wordlessly and led them over to their friends. "James! What are you doing?" Lily hissed at him.

James heard but choose not to answer her question. He led them straight into the shocked and questioning faces. "Me and Lily are dating now. Yes, it's official. I asked, 'Hey Lils, would you want to go out with me sometime?' in a questioning tone, and she answered with, 'Are you serious?' in a disbelieving tone. In turn, I said, 'No, Lils, I'm James, remember? James Potter, the one who you were handcuffed to for the last three months and seventeen days? But really, do you want to?' in a joking but serious, no pun intended, way. She happily said, 'Yes'. Yes, we kissed, and we even snogged once," James said, proud of his idea. Sirius dog-whistled; Peter looked confused; Remus looked estatic, looking at couple lovingly; Alice and Frank looked at each other shocked; Mary looked shocked but was already opening her mouth to ask another question, but James cut her off before she could talk, "and the temperature was roughly around negative two degrees Celsius."

Mary closed her mouth; Lily's face was in her hand.

Peter confusedly asked, "I thought you were already going out?"

Sirius and Remus smacked the back of his head.

.:.

"I can't believe it's going to be 1978 in a matter of minutes," Lily said.

James and Lily were walking outside, holding hands. His jacket was around her shoulders for warmth.

"I can't believe we'll be graduating from Hogwarts this year," James said.

"Yeah…" Lily said softly; she didn't even think of that.

"But don't worry, there won't be any more essays or tests or examinations!"

"No more of Slughorn's awful parties," Lily said, smiling.

"Five!" shouts came from inside the house. "Four! Three! Two! One!" And as if an explosion went off, a chorus of yelling, screaming and "Happy New Year"'s came from inside the house.

"Happy New Year, Lils," James said softly and kissing her equally as soft.

They broke apart; Lily grinning, She kissed him fully on the lips and quickly deepening the kiss, and before it could get heavy, she broke away, saying, "Happy New Years James."

**So I've decided I love you guys. Like honestly, you guys are so awesome!**

**Very much thanks to: (lmfao, you make me laugh:D, I heart the Beatles aussi), periodot82697 (dawww, you're making me blush), jjxlea123 (thanks so much! I love writing comedies), DarlingILoveYou (no, I love you more:D), mona moi (Sirius is always a strange soul, but I hope the message I sent cleared some stuff up), pinkdude64 (and I love you sosooso much for reviewing), witchyromy (dawww, so sweet) and dementorskiss xoxo (you make my day). And thanks to the anonymous reviewer!**


	25. Chapter 25: New Year's Part Deux

**Plain White T's, Rhythm of Love = love.**

New Year's Part Deux

"It's 1987!" Sirius's voice yelled, from the door. He was standing there, leaning up on the door frame for support. His drunken smile was plastered his face.

James smirked; Lily had a cross of amusement and worry on her face. "Having fun, Padfoot?"

"Oh of course, James! I'm drunk, and there's pretty ladies everywhere!" he exclaimed.

James rolled his eyes, "Go back to the party, Padfoot."

"But we want-," he hiccupped, "you two."

Lily was laughing and shaking her head as Sirius stumbled again. "Let's go, James, before he tries to get to us himself."

James grinned and offered his hand. Sirius smacked his hand away, "I am perfectly fine." As he finished his sentence, he stumbled into the wall and fell. Sirius grudgingly took James's hand.

"And that's why I don't want to drink," Lily said.

"Oh c'mon Lily," Sirius slurred slightly, "I feel so wonderful. Don't your insides feel all nice and warm?"

As Sirius said this, she realized they were. She overall felt slightly dizzy but warm, even in the chill of the winter night.

"Yes, but-," Lily started.

"But what?" Sirius interrupted her, "One night Lily. That's all I'm asking."

"I don't want to puke, and I don't want to have a hangover tomorrow."

James laughed, "Lily, you'll puke if you have ten drinks, and you can just sleep till 4 PM tomorrow. Hangovers aren't bad, as long as you have time to sleep them off."

Sirius chirped in, "Yeah, Lily. It's New Year's for Goodrich's sake."

Lily huffed, "It is, and I want to fully remember it tomorrow."

"Lily, you'll remember it perfectly, as long as you don't have ten drinks. Four is a good number for you," James said.

They were by all of their friends now. Alice, knowing what James and Sirius were doing, said, "I've tried to get her to drink anything for the past three years. Nothing works. She just doesn't drink, and I doubt she will ever."

Lily looked at Alice skeptically. "Fine, you know what? I think I will drink then!"

Sirius clapped in appreciation. "C'mon, Lily, let's go get you drunk!" He went to go lead her to the bar, but James stopped him.

"Padfoot, wait an hour before you get anything else. I'll go take Lily."

He led her to the bar and asked her, "Are you sure?"

She looked at her friends, "It's New Year's. Don't expect this for all those Quidditch parties."

James grinned and turned to the bartender, "Could I get a bottle of Firewhiskey and a couple of shot glasses?"

"Sure thing," he answered, giving him a bottle of Firewhiskey and five shot glasses on a tray.

"Thanks," James replied and led Lily back to the group. He put the tray onto the table. He poured the alcohol into two shot glasses, taking one for himself and handing the other to Lily.

"Are you drinking too?" Lily asked, slightly worried.

"It's New Year's, Lils, like you said. I'm not going to get completely sloshed, but just as much as you. Cheers," he clinked his glass to hers, downing the shot. She brought her up to her lips, grimacing. She gulped it immediately. She covered her hand with her mouth, thinking she might spit it back up. After a second or so, she removed her hand and put her glass onto the table.

"I don't know how people enjoy this," she said.

"Wait till it hits you," Sirius said, drunken smile still covering his face.

Lily looked around at her friends. Peter was hiccupping and laughing at nothing, presumably drunk. Alice was more relaxed than usual and talked louder than usual too, not drunk but definitely had some. Next to Alice was Frank, who seemed alert. Lily guessed he didn't drink anything. She was shocked to see Mary, slightly red in the face, laughing at something Sirius said. She had more than a couple of drinks. Remus even looked like he'd had some too; his face was slightly flushed, and his grin couldn't be bigger.

Lily felt her throat, stomach and face warm up and tingle. James had already poured her another one and was drinking one himself. She sighed as she picked up the drink. The burning sensation didn't lessen, but she was slightly used to it. She shook her head and was surprised. She got slightly dizzy and didn't feel stable on her feet. She grabbed onto the table. Sirius and Peter both burst into loud laughter. She looked at James to see he was laughing too.

"Shut it," she said, laughing at herself a little.

"Godric, Evans," Sirius said, laughing, "you never had anything to drink ever, have you?"

She muttered something incoherent and waited for James. He poured both of them a shot again. "How many more?" she complained.

James chuckled, "After this, one."

She frowned at the liquid, plugged her nose and drank it whole. The feeling that she was going to gag it back up intensified. She waited a couple of moments to let her stomach settle before removing her hand from covering her mouth.

"How are you not gagging?" Lily asked James as he smacked his lips. He seemed not affected at all.

"Practice makes perfect," he simply said, pouring the last one for Lily. She dreaded the last one.

She exhaled loudly and picked up the last one. She was truly worried that she would spit the last one up. She breathed deeply and swallowed it quickly. She was sure that she was going to puke, but the feeling went away as quickly as it came. She breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's alcohol brilliant?" Sirius asked Lily, attempting to elbow her but failing miserably.

She raised her eyebrow at him, "Alcohol is disgusting."

"Oh, wait for it to kick in!" Mary slurred.

.:.

"Alcohol is the best thing invented," James said loudly.

Mary and Lily giggled. Lily exclaimed, "I feel so warm!"

"I a-," Sirius burped, "gree, Prongs."

Peter was asleep on the ground; Alice and Frank went home. It was in the early hours in the morning, just as the sun rose.

"Let's do something," Lily hiccupped, "crazy."

.:.

"I need to peeeee," Lily complained.

"Then go peeee."

"But if I stand up, I get real dizzy," Lily hiccupped. Standing up, she nearly fell over. She used the wall to help her get to the bathroom.

.:.

"Hey Sirius?" Mary asked, slurring even worse now.

"What?"

"You're fanciable," Mary said, kissing him sloppily.

.:.

"I can't wait until he wakes up," Mary giggled.

Lily snorted, "Me too."

"I might die in the morning, but it was completely worth it," James said.

The two girls plus James left poor Sirius, stumbling their way out.

.:.

"I don't want red hair anymore," Lily complained.

Mary blinked a couple of times, "I can fix that!"

James just shook his head.

.:.

"Mary's gone to Never-never Land with Peter Pan," Lily said, looking at Mary asleep on the floor. After a few moments, she giggled like crazy, "It rhymes!"

.:.

"James?" Lily asked, trying to hold her head completely still.

"What, Lily?"

"I think it's time to go to sleep."

With that, James carried Lily back into her bedroom, gently placing her on her feet at her doorway. "Thanks," she mumbled, finding her way to her bed.

James chuckled, "Good night, Lily."

She snored, already asleep, lying on her bed.

**It's 2:14AM. I can't sleep. I took sleep medicine hours ago, and I'm still not asleep. My three African Dwarf frogs all died in the past three days. :'( They had some disease with their digestive track. That's why this chapter is kind of up late; I'm sorry. I miss my little froggers. One was even named Godric Gryffindor. Poor froggies. And to add onto it, my 11 year-old tuxedo cat has an ulcer, and my 9 year-old Cane Corse (Google image it) is staying in her crate a lot these days. It's moments like these that I really doubt if I could be a vet; I get too attached.**

**Anyways, on a lighter note, this chapter's up. I'm going camping up in Wisconsin till the end of July, so this'll be the last one for this month. I'm really wanting to start another story, because I've got great ideas, but I really don't think I'll have time. Oh and by the way? Thanks for only three reviews. I hope you all enjoyed vacation, or where ever you silly people are.**

**Thanks so much to: Mischief Maintained (Lurve the pen-name, and who doesn't love L/J?), dementorskiss xoxo (oh, you know so well how to brighten my days(: ) and DarlingILoveYou (daww, shucks, you're getting me all flustered:D).**

**Cheers to those who read all of that. (:**


	26. Chapter 26: Muddled Mornings

Muddled Mornings

_Ughhhh sun,_ Lily thought foggily as the sun hit her face in the early afternoon. She stumbled to the window and closed the blinds.

She collapsed unto her bed and rubbed her closed eyes. Her head was throbbing; she closed opened her eyes and looked at the ceiling. She blinked a couple times, focusing on the crown molding. Someone rapped on the door; the taps echoed in Lily's head ten times louder.

She groaned and pulled a pillow over her face. James walked in with a cup of tea and a steaming plate of pancakes; he kicked the door shut. Lily removed the pillow off her face and saw James.

"Good morning sunshine!" James said, offering her the tea.

"Is there a spell for this massive headache?"

"Lils, there's a spell for everything," James said and pointed his wand at Lily's temple,  
" _pendere_."

Lily sighed in relief, the pressure on her head was immediately gone, and James's voice didn't ring in her head.

She took a sip of tea and placed it on her night stand. James offered her the plate of pancakes; she took it onto her lap, "Thanks."

With the after affects of the alcohol gone, she realized she was starved. James walked over to the windows and opened the blinds. The sun shone brightly in the room.

"Godric, what time is it?"

"Around two o'clock." At Lily's incredulous look he added, "Well we didn't get to bed until about five in the morning, and Sirius and Mary are still out cold."

Lily's eyes got as big as galleons, "Oh no…"

At the mention of their names, Lily instantly remembered Mary and Sirius snogging last night. All of her memories of the previous night were muddled and slightly confusing. She remembered Sirius in a realistic rainbow afro wig…

James laughed, "Remember now?"

"He's gonna murder me!"

With that, Lily's door banged open, "LILY EVANS!" Sirius Black stormed into her room, and instead of his normal elegant black hair, there was a rainbow afro on his head.

James gripped onto the bed for support from his hard laughter. Lily shrank under the comforter to hide her own.

"Get. It. Off." Sirius said dangerously with his teeth clenched.

"I would Sirius, really," she insisted, "but I don't remember what spell I used. You have an equal chance of changing it back to normal as I do."

James was nearly on the floor laughing by now. Sirius turned to James, "Do you know what spell she used?"

"I dunno if I want to tell you mate," James said, "I am really loving this new hairstyle."

"James bloody Potter," Sirius began.

"Lemme get a picture of you first," James said, breathless. Sirius looked absolutely murderous, but James continued, "Here Lily, stand next to him."

"Only if I can change your hair Prongs," Sirius laughing himself now.

"Promise a picture?"

"Marauder's promise," Sirius raised his right hand.

"Go for it," James said, closing his eyes.

With the flick of Sirius's wand, James's hair was now the exact same as Sirius's own. Lily couldn't hold her laughter.

Sirius was laughing now, "Lily set the camera on timer, and come take a picture with us!"

Lily did as she did and ran to get into the picture. After the flash, James said, "That's gonna be a good one; I can tell."

.:.

Mary woke groggily later and wandered around looking for James when she stumbled upon Sirius. "Mhm, hi Sirius, have you seen James?"

Sirius looked at her, suddenly remembering snogging her last night. "Uh, he's somewhere with Lily, why?"

"I need him for the hangover spell," she said, rubbing her temples.

"Oh here, _pendere_."

Mary sighed in relief, "Oh thanks. You're a life-saver." She began to walk away.

"Wait, Mary," Sirius called at her back.

"Hm?"

"Do you remember last night?" he asked meaningfully.

"Vaguely," she replied, "but I definitely remember snogging you."

Sirius rubbed the back of his neck, "About that Mary-," he began.

"We were both sloshed, and it meant nothing," she finished for him.

"Uh, yeah."

"Thanks Sirius." With that, she walked away.

Sirius wasn't sure if she meant for the spell or for the snog. He walked away confused.

.:.

"Bye Mum and Dad!" James kissed his mother goodbye.

"Bye Mrs. and Mr. Potter! Thanks so much for having me!" Lily said. Mrs. Potter pulled her into a hug.

"Come and visit soon, Lily," Mr. Potter said, shaking her hand.

With that the couple disapparated unto King's Cross. They uneventfully made their way to Platform 9 ¾ and hopped onto their train. They found Remus, Peter and Mary in a compartment. Sirius wandered into compartment not long after. Alice and Frank came in a few minutes later.

Once the train started, Lily and James left for the Head's compartment with Remus. Inside the Head compartment, the Heads assigned patrols. The prefects filed out, and that left Lily and James alone in the compartment.

"Hey James?"

"Hm?"

"I'm glad I was handcuffed to you. I wouldn't have nearly as much fun this year without you."

James grinned, "I'm glad we were handcuffed too. Otherwise, I could do this," he leaned in and kissed her.

**So I went camping, and in the Wisconsin wilderness, I found a stray kitten, and yup, I took it home. It took days of convincing my dad to let me, and he thinks I'm finding it a home, but really, I want to keep it. She's the sweetest thing and a Bengal mix. She's about ten weeks, and I was delayed writing because of her. She loves sleeping on me or on my laptop, and she's way too adorable to move. I put a URL right under this. It's her laying on me, right in-between me and my laptop. It makes me smile (: (just delete the spaces)**

http:/ .

**And a huge thanks to: PinkDude64 (oh my Godric. You made my week and it makes me smile whenever I see your 7 reviews in a row. You are truly awesome), DarlingILoveYou (who knows? Just because I didn't write it, doesn't mean it didn't happen!), dementorskiss xoxo (thanks for your concerns; my dog seems to be doing better, same with the cat. Hope you like this chappy!), deedee (I hate Snape. Period. He's rarely in here, but I'll add him soonish, just for you), periodot82697 (I had a lovely time, thank you. I hope you love this chapter too!) And a round of applause to all those who added story alerts; I'm sorry, but I don't feel like looking up who did.**


	27. Chapter 27: The Beginning to a New Year

**AAAand, just kidding, the URL didn't work. Balls. You can just look at my picture though now.**

The Beginning of a New Year

As the scarlet train pulled in to Hogsmeade, the passengers inside eagerly jumped out onto the platform. The group of seventh years was among them.

Their thoughts were buzzing. Lily's about James; James's about Lily's; Mary's about an upcoming exam; Alice's about Snape who passed them; Frank's about Alice; Peter's about food; Remus's about the full moon, and Sirius's confused.

_What did she mean, thanks? Does she think I'm a bad kisser? She said I was fanciable. Does that mean she fancies me?_

Sitting in the carriage back to the castle, Mary placed herself as far as possible from Sirius. This made Sirius even more confused, maybe even hurt.

Meanwhile, James grasped Lily's hand and smiled. Now Hogwarts would now that the Heads were a couple. He couldn't wait to show everybody.

The carriage stopped. James hopped out first and helped Lily out. Together they walked to the castle. Sirius hopped out next and offered his hand to Mary. She didn't acknowledge his hand and jumped out by herself. Sirius looked at her retreating back with his mouth wide open.

_What is with this bird?_

Out the window, a sallow face peeked out and saw the Heads, without handcuffs and holding hands. The pale face turned red and stormed away.

.:.

"I cannot believe this," Alice slammed the newspaper on the table. The headline read, "Four Muggles and Two Wizards Killed. Voldemort Suspected."

"Suspected?" Sirius said incredulously, "Who else?"

"He just needs to be stopped," Lily said.

"But by who?" Frank said. The table was silent until James sighed.

"The Order of the Phoenix," James said quietly.

Everyone in the group looked at him. "Who?" Mary asked.

"The Order of the Phoenix," Alice repeated, "It's a secret society that's set up by Dumbledore. It's the opposite of the Death Eaters."

Frank looked at Alice shocked, "How do you know all of this?"

"My parents and his parents are members of it. My parents told me about it Christmas Break."

"Well how do we get in?" Lily asked.

"Invitation by Dumbledore," James said.

"Uh, sorry-gotta go," Peter mumbled as he ran from the table.

"What's with him?" Sirius said, gesturing to Peter.

"I dunno; he's been off since Christmas break."

The table was silent from the news of the Order of the Phoenix and Voldemort and the silent dark theories of Peter.

"New topic, please," Mary spoke up.

"So Lily," James said, "your birthday is coming up."

"Yup, January 30th," she replied offhandedly.

"Well, what do you want to do?" Alice asked.

"Nothing big."

"What do you want?" Mary asked.

"Nothing big."

Lily's best friend looked at her, "Are you going to actually answer our questions?"

Lily laughed, "Honestly guys, I don't want some huge party or ridiculous presents."

James's mind was already reeling with possibilities.

.:.

Lily was walking alone back to the Head's Common Room since James had complained hours prior of a headache. It was not a far walk at all, but it'd take her awhile to get there tonight. As Lily closed the Fat Lady's portrait, she saw Severus Snape lurking at the end of the corridor. She planned to ignore him, but he spoke up, "So after all those years of friendship, you're just going to ignore me?"

She turned to him, "You did so well with it when I considered you my best mate."

Severus ignored her comment and wasted no time, "So you and Potter?"

"What about me and James?"

"Have you shagged him yet?"

Lily's eyebrows rose to her hairline, "Excuse me?"

"There has to be a reason why he dates you. Have you shagged Potter yet?"

"I don't see why that'd be your business, Snape."

And with that Lily turned on her heel and ignored the apologies from Snape.

"Because I still consider you my best mate…" he muttered when she couldn't hear.

She was furious and had tears running down her face. She opened the portrait to her dorms. She furiously wiped the tears off her face and looked for James. She found him sleeping in his bed. She jumped on his bed, roughly waking him up. He woke with a start and looked around to see Lily wiping tears from her eyes.

He jammed his glasses on his face, "Lils, what's wrong?"

She sniffed and told him about the encounter moments prior, "And he said there's has to be a reason why you date me, so I must be a tramp."

His immediate reaction was to jump out of bed and hunt down the slimy git, but Lily crying broke his heart. "Love, it's all right. He only wanted a rise out of you."

"We were best friends, how could he do that to me?"

"When you were friends, he was a different person. People change Lils, and sometimes not for the better." He continued to speak comforting words to Lily until she fell asleep, cheeks tear-stained. He probably would have got up at hunted the git down after she was asleep, but Lily had fallen asleep on him, and he didn't want to disturb her. Still disgruntled, he fell asleep soon after.

**So diving started Wednesday, and I've already got shin pain. Hooray. But I don't know the next time I'll be able to update. Hopefully before school starts… Such a depressing thought. I got my junior schedule too. Physics first period? Does the school want me to fail? I'm not even entirely up until at least fifth period.**

**So I started writing another fic, and once I make sure I'm going to have enough time, I'm gonna really start that one too. I was originally going to wait until I finished this one, but I see now that that's not going to be in the near future, and those ideas are just sitting there… So add me to your alerts, and you'll see when I get that started. I need a story name though.**

**Anyhoo, thanks to: Cassie (Thanks! I missed your reviews! I read your new chappie and heart it.), Lord Harry (even though technically, you're not on this website, I feel like I should thank you), periodot82697 (thanks! I hope I get to too!), dementorskiss xoxo (thanks! And I know huh? Roller coasters do not help a hangover. Lesson learned.), pinkdude94 (Hahah, I cannot read on my iPod if that's what you're using Wi-Fi for. It's so tiny! You must be super patient!), JamesLilyHarry (Thank you oh so much! I am absolutely loving the diction of your review), DarlingILoveYou (hahah, thanks! Y'know, curly hair + humidity = blonde 'fro).**


	28. Chapter 28: Joyous Day of Lily's Birth

**So today's Tuesday, August 31, 2010. Let's see how long it takes to get a chapter outta me.**

**Words cannot express my sorrowfulness about how ridiculously long it took for me to write (September 7****th****, 2010). I hang my head in shame.**

Joyous Day of Lily's Birth

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" the Gryffindors chorused together as Lily walked out of her dormitory.

Her cheeks flushed slightly but still replied, "Thanks guys. I was really hoping you were going to forget this year."

"Lily-flower, how could we ever forget your birthday?" Sirius exclaimed, giving her a bear hug.

Lily coughed out, "Sirius?"

"Yes?" he replied, still squeezing her.

"Can I get my lung capacity back?"

Sirius laughed and let go of Lily. James walked up to her, kissed her on her forehead and hugged her next. Mary and Alice sandwiched her into a hug; Frank and Peter giving her a tentative hugs respectively. Remus smiled at her fondly before giving her a hug.

"Thanks guys," Lily said, smiling.

"Presents after dinner, so don't make any plans!" Mary said jokingly.

"Oh darn," Lily said sarcastically, snapping her fingers.

The rest of day was filled with random outbursts of "Happy Birthday" (especially after Charms, where they worked more advanced Cheering Charms), balloons jinxed onto the ceilings (where Professor Flitwick claimed the only way to get rid of them was to pop them, and when they did, they screamed with the volume of a Howler, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY LILY EVANS!") and singing cupcakes at dinner (every cupcake burst into song as soon as they appeared on the long house tables).

Lily was quickly blindfolded after dinner and was guided by James up into the dormitory, while everyone else rushed ahead of them.

"Watch the next step; it's a trick one," James said, guiding Lily up the stairs.

She skipped the stair and asked, "Why am I blindfolded? I know where I'm going, and what's there."

"Too slow down," James said laughing. "They need time to get up there and everything sorted."

"Hmph," Lily said.

"Someone's a little anxious to see their presents," James said in a sing-song voice.

"What did you get me?" Lily asked curiously.

"You'll see," James said, guiding her down the corridor, lengthening their path.

"Give me a hint."

"It matches you," he simply answered.

Her mind immediately went to clothes, ranging from sweaters to shoes, earrings to pants, skirts to necklaces and bracelets. "That's too vague, another one please."  
"Uh," James searched his mind, "it's adorable."

Lily was confused. _What clothing would James think as "adorable"?_

As Lily was begging for more hints, and James denying them from her, James led her up the seventh floor. As they approached the portrait, James undid the blindfold, and faced the painting.

"Dumbledore," James said, opening the doorway. He gestured Lily to go in first.

"SURPRISE!"

Lily smiled and noticed the Head's common room was decorated with photos, streamers and balloons. "Big surprise guys, but thank you!"

"GROUP HUG!" Sirius exclaimed, grabbing anyone he could into a bear hug.

As Sirius let go of his friends, Lily was rushed into a chair next to a pile of brightly wrapped presents.

"Open the purple one first!" Alice exclaimed.

"No, no, no! Yellow first!" Mary said, dropping the yellow package into Lily's lap.

"Yellow first, I guess," Lily said, carefully unwrapping Mary's gift first. Inside was a silver hairbrush with various knobs and settings.

"It's a hairbrush that'll do your hair for you; there's a knob on the bottom that has all the options," Mary explained.

Lily looked closer at the bottom and read, some of the tiny inscriptions, _STRAIGHT/WAVY/RINGLETS/SMALL BRAIDS/LARGE BRAID…_

"Thank you, Mary!" Lily said, hugging her.

"Mine now!" Alice said excitedly, dropping the purple-wrapped rectangle into Lily's lap. Lily tore the wrappings off to find a wooden picture frame.

"I picked my favorite pictures of us girls from first year to Christmas Break. It changes every minute," Alice said, gesturing to the frame that changed from Mary, Alice and Lily sitting at the lake at the end of last year to a picture of the three at Florean Fortescue over the past summer.

"Thank you, Alice. It's perfect," Lily said, hugging Alice.

Since the rest didn't care whose was opened first, Lily picked at random a green package, which read, "Happy Birthday Lily! Your friends, Remus and Frank". She opened to find two book; one was a thick, aged book titled, "Most Olde Magick", and the second was new book with clean corners titled, "Newly Edited List of Registered Charms in England".

"Aw, thanks guys!" Lily said, hugging Remus first.

"No problem, Lils. I remember you eyeing those books a couple weeks ago," Remus replied.

"And I was clueless," Frank said smiling, hugging Lily. She laughed in response.

The last gift was a clumsily wrapped gift, which Lily assumed was Peter's. Indeed, the card read in a messy scrawl, "Happy Birthday Lily! From, Pete".

Lily opened the gift inside to find various packages of candy. Lily smiled; all of the packages were her favorites at Honeydukes. "Thanks Pete," she said hugging the chubbly Marauder.

"Happy Birthday, Lily," he responded.

Not to be mistaken for greed, Lily was a little disappointed to see that James had not gotten her a present after all. She looked at James to comment on the missing gift, and when she saw him, she let out a gasp.

Of course there was no wrapped present from James on the table; it would be impossible in any way to wrap that up. It would suffocate, the poor thing.

James was right about it being adorable, and it did match her perfectly. The kitten had bright green eyes like her and orange and blank fur. Lily picked up the kitten carefully; it meowed softly and looked at her, sniffing Lily precariously. The kitten decided that Lily must've smelled all right because it relaxed and began purring.

"Doesn't he look like a little leopard?" James said softly, petting the kitten's head.

Lily looked at him seriously, "This isn't a leopard cub, is it?"

FOREVER AND A DAY

**So, the day after I posted chapter 27, my laptop decided it didn't want to open Word anymore. Then, when that got fixed, my life decided to be busy with school. After it chilled down, diving meets happened twice a week and Saturdays. Then yesterday (9/12/10), when I was determined to write, my C, V, and H keys on my laptop decided not to work. Once those got fixed (9/13/10), I got terribly sick (9/14/10). I kid you not. So I'm writing this with my sickened mind (I mean with a cold, mind you). Then guys decided to make my life complicated (dates various). I got asked to homecoming (twice, both with blue flowers), a date and to hook up. I challenge you to guess which one out of four I took the offer on.**

**So anywho, thanks to:**

**Pinkdude64 (read in the morning fool! I like reading at my bus-stop on my iTouch.), Loslote (Thanklies so much! Your review made me smile), BlistersOnMyFingers (Thanklies man! More Sirius/Mary next chapter, I believe. And AVPT, hells yes. Red vines… What the hell can't they do?) and dementorskiss xoxo (thankslies man! I'm so incredibly sorry.)**


	29. Chapter 29: Defender of Head's Dormitory

Defender of the Head's Dormitory

The next couple of weeks blended into each other. They were simply all of the same, consisting all of school, homework and slushy, messy weather.

What was also messy, though, was Sirius's mind. He was thinking about his future, his career, Mary, his NEWT's, Mary and Mary.

He simply did not understand what was going on. She didn't want to spend time with him privately, but publicly, she was peachy. He was going insane. There wasn't a possible way he was a bad kisser, even when drunk. He wasn't ugly. He was Sirius freaking Black, for Godric's sake!

She didn't even want to talk to him. Instead, she'd want to talk to John Corner, a fellow seventh year Quidditch player, except he was in Ravenclaw.

Sirius had been jealous of people, sure. He was jealous of James's loving parents, Remus's calmness in any situation, Lily's brilliance in every subject, but he was never more jealous of anyone than John Corner at the moment.

Especially this moment. James must've noticed that his best friend was upset because he asked, "Are you okay, Padfoot?"

"Honky dory," he said, stabbing his potatoes moodily.

James followed Sirius's gaze to the Ravenclaw table. John Corner was whispering something into Mary's ear, causing her to giggle and nod. He looked at her ecstatically.

"Would John Corner be the reason why you are stabbing your potatoes?" When Sirius didn't answer, James assumed it was indeed so.

"Padfoot, look-," James began, but Sirius cut him off.

"Don't Prongs. Sorry, I don't need your talks right now. I just need some sleep." With that, Sirius Black left.

Lily looked at his retreating back curiously, "What was that about?"

James swallowed his food, "John Corner just asked Mary out. She obviously said yes."

Lily frowned; she liked John well enough, but she hated to see Sirius so upset. Everyone knew, including Mary, knew that Sirius was going insane over Mary. "Poor Sirius."

James nodded silently in agreement. "You ready to go up too?"

"Mhm," she agreed, pushing away the plate of food.

They walked up the usual seven flights of stairs, hands intertwined. All the thoughts of anxiety or sadness disappeared when Lily was with James. She felt extremely calm but still got the butterflies whenever they flirted.

With small talk in-between, they reached their dormitory. "Did you start on the Transfiguration essay yet?" Lily asked, plopping on the couch.

"I've got the title, name and year," James said, laughing, sitting next to her. He waved his wand at their school stuff, causing it to zoom magically into their laps. "I'd love to get started though."

Lily laughed and pulled out her Transfiguration papers. James peered over her shoulder, looking at her blank parchment. "Heh, I've got more done than you."

"Oh yeah? Well I'll finish it before you do," Lily challenged, looking straight into James's eyes.

"Yeah?" he countered, looking straight back into her eyes.

The challenge is their eyes quickly changed into something deeper. Before each of they were aware, they were kissing. Lily broke off and laughed, "Way to do our homework."

James laughed and leaned in again. His tongue was quick to ask for entry, which Lily quickly obliged. They quickly fell into the familiar rhythm.

They were enjoying themselves until the heard a "". Something flew came out the corner of the room onto the top of James's head where the cat promptly sat comfortably.

James assured Lily that it was not fully a leopard cub, but a magical mix in-between a leopard and muggle domestic house cat. James claimed it was "fully legal". Lily scoffed at that but was already in love with the kitten. The kitten was still decently tiny, being about 5 pounds at the moment, but James warned Lily that the kitten would grow to be about the size of a small dog.

"Hi, Alex," Lily cooed, picking the kitten off of James's head. Lily had already named the kitten Alex which meant defender. It was an extremely fitting of a name since Alex would yowl at every time someone walked into their dormitory.

Alex would yowl extremely loud whenever Sirius walked in, though the yowls were alerting, never violent. James figured it was because of his dog "personality". Through, whenever Sirius sat down, Alex laid in his lap, demanding to be pet. Peter wished Alex would just yowl at him. Instead, Alex would chase Peter non-stop, pouncing and sneaking up on poor Peter. It became obvious that their animagi corresponded with how Alex responded to them by then. Surprisingly, Alex did not have a problem with Remus or James and seemed rather affectionate of them. He liked scaring Frank and Mary, popping out of invisible spots or swatting at their legs as Alex hid under the couch. He liked Alice fairly well, rubbing against her legs whenever she walked into the Head's dorms. It was apparent that Lily was his favorite. He would follow her everywhere, even to the bathroom. He would sleep next to her legs, even when she accidently kicked him in her sleep. He had an odd habit of jumping up onto her shoulder gracefully and sitting up there while Lily went around with her responsibilities.

Lily fell in love with the kitten when she saw him the first time. She joked, saying that she had more love at first sight with Alex than James.

James had tried to look offended, but he knew it was true.

He also tried to look upset that Alex ruined a perfectly good snog, but he loved the kitten too.

"I guess Alex wants us to do our homework," James said, laughing.

"Looks like it," Lily answered, laughing too.

At that moment, Sirius burst into Head's dormitory. Alex began to yowl for all of Hogwarts to hear but ran up to Sirius to nudge his legs.

Sirius pet the cat once, acknowledging it but went off into a tangent. "Who does Mary think she is?" he said angrily.

"She knows that I-," he muttered something incoherent, "and yet she still flirts with John-bleeding –Corner, and better yet, agrees to date him! What do you think she's playing at?"

Remus came into the room silently as Sirius yelled and sat down in the chairs across from the couple.

"And who does John Corner think he's doing? He's trying to sabotage our Quidditch team, isn't he?" Sirius ranted a few other crazy theories of John Corner, including that he came from Mars and was trying to eliminate the Wizarding population in Great Britain.

Sirius finished, panting like a dog, "I think I'm going to talk to Mary." And with that, he left.

Remus said quietly after Sirius left, "Looks like Padfoot found his own Lily, the one girl in school that doesn't fall head over heels for him."

James shook his head in sympathy towards Sirius.

**So I felt super bad about not updating forever, and I have a chance to say it's 10/10/10. So I immediately went to work on this one. It didn't hurt that I had a three day weekend either. If you'd like a visualization of Alex, just go on Google and search "Bengal cats". The first picture seems like a good enough one. Bengal is a real type of cat and they are crossed with an Asian leopard. It's the type of cat my kitten is. (: Anyways, I change my picture and my calves (or baby cows, as I like to call) look manly. I found a new love of youtube. Search Bo Burnham. He's incredibly perverted, but really too funny. My favorites are "I'm Bo, yo" and "Love is…". Also, on a related note to fanfiction, I'm writing another story, but I want to write the first couple of chapter before I publish it. As of right now, it's going to be called "Forever and a Day", and it's going to be L/J of course, and starting at the end of fifth year. I'm writing the second chapter right now. Maybe it'll be up today or tomorrow? Today's 10/10/10. So yeah, I'm decently sure I'm going to publish it today.**

**Thanks to:**

**Loslote (haha, noooo. I'm not going to homecoming this year. I'm going to do something more awesome, I've decided.), pinkdude64 (haha, well I hope you read this at night too. I'm updating rather early in the day) and wisegirlwiseeyes (haha, well you were sort of right! It's half!)**

**And also, I know that I'm updating much earlier than usual, so that could be an explanation towards why I got three reviews, but really guys, review.**


	30. Chapter 30: Major Dejavous

Major Déjà

Sirius raced back to the Gryffindor dormitories. He slipped through the Fat Lady's portrait and was about to take the first step up the girl's dormitories when he remembered he would turn it into a slide. He let a grunt of frustration, as he saw the flaw in his plan, when Alice was walked down the stairs.

"You!" Sirius exclaimed excitedly.

"Yes, me," Alice said slightly confused.

"You're a girl!" he said happily.

Alice placed her hands on her hips, "Really, Black? You've just come to this realization?"

Sirius shook his head, "No, no, no. I meant you can help me!"

Alice tilted her head slightly, "With what? I don't want to be involved with any Marauder prank-," she said, cut off by Sirius.

"No, no, no. You can bring Mary down here, so," he paused, "I can talk to her."

Alice looked hesitant, "Sirius, if she doesn't want to talk to you, I'm not going to drag her down here by her ankles."

"Please, just try," Sirius pleaded.

Alice sighed, "Fine, but don't blame me if she doesn't come."

As Alice was climbing up the stairs, she had a flash of déjà vous. She immediately understood why. James had countless times tried to talk to Lily by getting one of her friends, usually Alice, to get her to go downstairs.

Lily went downstairs rarely, and whenever she did, she always came back angrier than she was before.

Alice opened the door to the seventh year girls and found Mary lying on her bed, reading Witch Weekly.

"Did you find Frank?" Mary asked, confused that Alice was already back.

"No, I was stopped by someone first, and that someone really wants to talk to you," Alice said.

Mary looked at her, "No. I just had a lovely conversation with John. I don't want my mood ruined by him."

Alice rolled her eyes, sitting on the edge of Mary's bed, "C'mon Mary. You're driving him insane, and you know it."

"He only wants what he can't get," Mary replied stonily.

"Yeah, well that's Sirius. How bad could one little talk be?"

"Horrible."

"Wasn't it you that said you date Potter or Black in a second if you could?" Alice asked, already knowing that it was in fact Mary.

"Yeah, but I was naïve and immature-," Mary started but was cut off by Alice.

"And you did say he was a great kisser, even though he was sloshed out of his mind."

Mary huffed, "He's snogged enough girls that he should be by now."

"C'mon, Mary. You're not dating John yet. You guys are only going to Hogsmeade together on Valentine's Day."

Mary looked at Alice murderously, "Which can very much lead to us dating, thank you very much."

"But you're not dating!" Alice said, begging with her.

"Fine! I'll go downstairs and talk to bloody Sirius," Mary stood up and crossed the room quickly and closing the door with more force than necessary.

Alice smiled, "Oh she loves me."

.:.

Sirius was pacing around the common room, waiting for either Mary or Alice to come downstairs. He heard a door slam and feet lightly galloping down the stairs.

He held his breath, waiting. He saw Mary go down the last couple of steps. He'd definitely have to thank Alice later.

"What do you want?" Mary asked sharply.

Now that she was actually downstairs and talking to him, he had no clue what to say. He never really expected for Alice to succeed.

"Uh," Sirius stuttered. He could yell at her for ignoring him the past month, for John Corner or a number of things that he complained to James about, but right now, he only wanted make her happy.

"What?" Mary asked impatiently.

"Well, for starts, why have you been so insistently ignoring me?" Sirius asked quietly.

Mary shifted uncomfortably, "Well, I was hoping that you'd get the clue that I did not fancy you."

It was a complete lie, and she knew it. She did fancy Sirius; she just didn't want to be hurt.

Sirius did not know it was a lie. He looked hurt, "Well you could've told me."

"Yeah, I'm sorry," she said softly.

"Can I ask you why?" Sirius said quietly.

"Why what?"

"Why you don't like me?"

Mary sighed, "You're out of my league, Sirius. You've been with so many girls. I count the number of guys I kissed on one hand, including you."

"I don't mind, and if anything, I'd say you're out of my league," Sirius said, glad they were getting somewhere.

Mary laughed incredulously, "Yeah?"

Sirius replied, "Yup. You're too smart, too pretty, and too innocent."

Mary blushed, "Thanks, but not really."

"Could I ask one more thing?" Sirius said, after a few moments of silence.

"Other than what you just asked?" Mary said, smiling, "Sure."

"Could you give me another chance?"

"Another chance at what?" Mary asked confusedly, looking at Sirius.

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Sirius's lips were on hers. Mary was shocked but didn't pull away. She enjoyed kissing him. He was, in fact, an amazing kisser and eager at that. His tongue was already begging for entry. She waited a few moments before obliging. His tongue was exploring her mouth and her's his.

He broke away and placed her forehead, "Words could not describe how badly I wanted to do that for weeks now."

"Oh really?" Mary said incredulously.

"Mhm," Sirius said, "I think I have to ask you another question though."

"What's that?"

"Would you like to go on a date with me?"

Mary's heart sunk. "Sirius, as much as you are attractive and a great kisser, I don't think I could date you."

"What?" Sirius said, shell-shocked.

"You'd be finished with me once you've conquered me," Mary said quietly.

"I won't, Mary. I swear you're different than all the girls at Hogwarts!" Sirius insisted.

Mary started to tear up, "And how many girls have you said that to?"

Sirius looked at her shocked that these words were coming from her, "None! Mary, you're special. You're not the usual cookie cut girl that everyone sees you as! Please, don't do this to me," he finished quietly.

Mary looked at him and saw sincerity. She didn't want to fall for him; she couldn't.

A small voice in the back of her head replied, _but what if I already have?_

**So I wrote this is one night. I'm pretty dang proud of myself. I've been on three medications the past week, vertigo, allergy and decongestant. It's wearing off right now, and I feel like I just got off the spinning teacups.**

**The combination of the medicine is not the best. I get slap-happy as hell and my memory is a fog of the last week. But as long as this spinning stops…**

**I carved a pumpkin yesterday, in the shape of Harry Potter of course. I might change that to my avatar thing. Anyways, I'm getting quite tired. Good night.**

**PS. My varsity diving conference is next Friday, so I doubt I'm going to have any time to write. Diving season is really wrapping up, and I'm really hoping that I make it state this year. Like super hoping.**

**College is coming near too. Grawr. I don't want to grow up. I want to go to never never land and never grow up with Peter Pan. That sounds really awesome right now.**

**Can you believe that this is chapter thirty?**

**Thanks to:**

**Janisthegiant (thanks! Haha, I know. Poor Sirius now, huh?), Loslote (aren't they so pretty? I have one. It's the kitten I got from camping.), Sam Storsky (thanks so much! The handcuffs seem like forever ago!), BlistersOnMyFingers (thanklies! Yeah, you have been dead, and you will hate Mary, but chizz has to happen, y'know?), pinkdude64 (Ahhhduurrr, it's a AVPS reference. I was listening to that song while writing the chapter.), lucypotter13 (haha, I completely forgot about that! We still have no clue! I hope this A/N was long enough for you!), dementorskiss xoxo (it's quite acceptable! School is so dang busy.), Joelle8 (haha, Sirius is quite the madman, I'd say.), xExpectoxPatronumx (thanks for all your reviews! They made me smile day-to-day that I got them (: ) and periodot82697 (It's quite jolly good. I understand craziness, quite fully.)**


	31. Chapter 31: Love Unexpected

Love Unexpected

_But what if I already have?_

"I'm so sorry, Sirius; I can't," Mary said, tearing up, and she turned to leave.

"Mary, please," Sirius said, grabbing her wrist and turning her around. "Please," he repeated.

She looked at him sadly, "Sirius, I've already to spend Valentine's Day with John."

Sirius was stumped, and seconds ticked by before he said anything.

"I have a proposition," he stated. Mary looked at him in response. "Valentine's Day is a week away. How about you go on the date with John," he paused, "and have a lovely day, but then I get to take you on a date that night. Please just give me a chance, Mary."

She pondered it. In his logic, there was no flaw. In her however...

She didn't want to take the risk. She was Mary, plain and boring, not one to take chances or play with other's hearts. She was drunk when they kissed; how would he know they'd be good together?

He didn't. And with a sudden realization, she didn't know they'd be bad together either.

She finally answered, "Okay, but on one condition."

Sirius immediately smiled, "and what would that be?"

"You will not in any way, shape or form sabotage John."

Sirius's grin faltered slightly. He had already formulated millions of small things to wrong on John's date. Mary had correctly suspected it already; Sirius was so ashamed.

"Deal," he said with finality.

Mary walked back up to her dorm and wondered what just happened. A small voice in the back of her head nagged her, saying that it was a terrible idea, that she should cancel all dates. Another one said she should have never agreed to Sirius, pointing out his player type would cause major trouble. The smallest voice claimed that Sirius could be well, serious about this relationship.  
When she finally was into her room, Alice jumped up from her bed and asked, "So what happened?"

"Long story short, I'm a girl who plays with guys hearts for fun, because I'm too much of a wimp to decline anyone."

"Oh Mary, you know that's not true," Alice said comforting.

"But it is!" Mary exclaimed, "What should I do, Alice? I feel terrible."

"Well if you decline either of them now, they'll be more annoyed," Alice said. "Besides, I don't think John should know unless you pick Sirius."

Mary nodded, exhausted already and just wanting to crawl into bed.

Alice sighed, "Just pick the one that feels right to you, and you'll be fine."

"Thanks, Alice," she said quietly. However, as she laid her head to rest, she couldn't help to think "What have I done?"

.:.

As Valentine's Day got closer and closer, hearts soared and broke. James and Lily were spending it together, as Frank and Alice were. Mary and Sirius had their day set up, and even Peter had a fifth-year Hufflepuff as a date.

However, Remus Lupin had no one, but he was determined to have someone this year. A few hopefuls had turned up, but he had politely rejected them. He had thought that he was going to spend the night studying, but he realized he no longer wanted to.

He could go back the girls that already asked him, but he felt that they most likely had different dates now. It's not like he fancied any of them anyways. They were sixth-year Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws, most likely trying to get to Sirius or James anyways.

He wandered the library out of boredom, wondering what to do when he ran into something. The something was squishy and alive… and female.

He immediately went to help the poor girl, "I'm very sorry, Marlene. I wasn't paying attention to where I was walking." He offered a hand back up.

"It's quite all right, Remus." Remus pulled her to her feet. "Neither was I."

Remus chuckled, "So where are you headed?"

"The library," Marlene answered, "Just to get some last minute studying for the Charms essay."

"Ah," Remus said, "So was I. The wand movements for the new charms we learned always seem to slip my mind."

Marlene smiled, "You're quite studious for a Gryffindor."

"Not as much as you Ravenclaw lot though. I enjoy the occasional prank."

"I figured as much," she replied. "There haven't been as many prank this year compared to past though."

Remus frowned, "I guess not. James is busy being a Head Boy, and Sirius has been… distracted lately. They're the brains usually."

"I never minded the pranks," Marlene said honestly. "They usually were deserved and never pointed towards the Ravenclaws."

"Maybe the next one will then," Remus said smiling.

"Will you warn me what pudding I shouldn't eat, or what step I should skip over?" Marlene said.

Remus laughed, "Possibly, but maybe we need to find another trigger."

They arrived at the library, so Marlene was forced to whisper her giggles.

Marlene McKinnon was a short witch. She was also very small. She had long dark brown hair, and Remus just noticed her deep blue eyes that were hidden behind her glasses. She was a seventh year Ravenclaw, known to be exceptional in Transfiguration. She was also known to be sweet and innocent also. And to Remus's gratitude, she also did not happen to have a boyfriend.

.:.

_Love is weird, _Lily thought in her head, as she was supposed to read her potions book.

She looked over to James, _Yup, love is definitely strange._ She smiled to herself and continued to read.

James looked over to see her smiling at her book. He raised an eyebrow towards her and said, "What so funny in your potion book?"

She blushed, knowing the silent conversation in her head didn't go unnoticed, "Nothing, I was thinking something."

James gave her a look, "You just can't mention something and not tell me. It doesn't work that way."

"Uh, well, see, I don't _have _to tell you," Lily said smiling.

"Uh, well, see, I think you do," James said, placing his book on the table.

"Yeah? What are you going to do about it?" Lily said, challenging him.

"Oh, I dunno… Tickle torture!" James said, pouncing on Lily and tickling her ribcage.

She shrieked and tried unsuccessfully tried to escape, laughing. She rolled over, trying to break free, but it was impossible. He was much too strong.

He stopped for a second and held her closely. He whispered in her ear, "Tell me now?"

Thousands of goose bumps erupted on her skin. "Hmm," she thought mockingly, "I don't think so."

He began to tickle her again, "Okay, okay, okay, okay! I'll tell!" she exclaimed.

"Spill it, Lils," James said, trying to look menacing but failing.

"I was just thinking how weird that we're a couple. We're different in so many different ways. It made me happy."

A really warm feeling settled in James's stomach. He started grinning like a bloody fool. "And we're similar and different in all the right ways. It makes me happy."

It was Lily's turn to smile like a fool. Only James Potter had this affect on her.

Sometimes, love can pop out a corner and surprise you. Sometimes, it's your best friend, and it smacks you in the face one day. Love can happen even when the two most opposite people meet. Love can happen the moment you look into the eyes of someone the first time. You can find yourself in love with someone you never expected. It can even happen with someone you suspected all along.

**A/N: And you will not how unbelievably sorry I am to all of you. My life has been crazy hectic with everything. Best friends to trig to gymnastics to romantic interests, it's been crazy. Not to mention the holidays are here. Hopefully since it's my winter break, I'll write some chapters up to update so it won't be as horrible as this time. I apologize to all of you; I've been so horrible. You guys are just too wonderful.**

**Thanks to:**

**Pinkdude64 (haha, I'm off most medications now, and maybe I should write and publish a little earlier in the night… I apologize.), Loslote (Thanklies so much! Sirius is definitely one of my favorite characters too), Sapphire-Rosethorne (Thanks for your feedback. I enjoy yours as much as you enjoyed mine, I hope!), the deathstick (lj is for Lily/James I believe. I appreciate that you're reading my story), dementorskiss xoxo (I know, Sirius will hopefully change, but you never know…), DarlingILoveYou (don't cry, blue skies! I heart you), xExpectoxPatronumx (daww, thanks. I don't feel so proud right now), marinewife08 (thanks for your feedback. Words will not describe how happy it makes me), kayleighchaos093 (thank you very much, I hope you continue to read!), haly (Thank you very mucho. I try to mix genres, and I'm glad you noticed! Thanks! I like how James and Sirius turned out.)**

**Godric, I feel even worse now. You guys are so wonderful, and I'm so poop-filled. I'm going to write another chapter like RIGHT NOW.**


	32. Chapter 32: Valentine's Before

Valentine's Before

Valentine's Day was near. You could see flocks of girls bashing their eyelids at poor boys walking to class. The scent of many fruity perfumes and musky colognes could be smelled from a mile from Hogwarts.

The closer the day came, the more Remus Lupin knew he wanted to ask Marlene McKinnon on a date. He finally found a way to ask and her, and he was pacing around his dormitory room nervously.

"Relax, Moony," James said. "She's going to love it and say yes. I know it."

"Yeah, Remus," Peter added on, "she's going to love it."

Sirius wasn't there with the rest of the Marauders. He was… Well, no one was quite sure where he went off to.

Remus had set up and elaborate plan for asking Marlene on the date. James and Sirius had helped him, meaning that only the best would suffice.

First, he had to talk to Marlene's friends privately. As he told them the plan, they all squealed with delight for their friend. All they had to do was to not spill to Marlene and keep her in the dormitory until eight thirty, when they had to lead her into the common room.

That means that Sirius, James and Remus had to sneak into the common room beforehand to get everything set up. Sirius had become the master of sneaking into the Ravenclaw Commons fifth year, when he dated a sixth year.

Remembering their first conversation, he had created a trick step on the way down from the dorms. As the trick step was stepped on by Marlene (and only Marlene could set it off, and Remus had taken a stray hair from the back of her cloak when they were walking to class a few days prior), a trigger charm would cause a multitude other spells to be activated. The first spell would dim the lights in the common room. Another spell would create a green neon Muggle-themed game board with dashes for letters that had to be guessed to be revealed.

Remus would also be in the room but hidden to prevent Marlene from figuring it out too quickly.

His watch read eight eleven. He should probably head over there. He grabbed the bouquet of pink and blue roses (her favorite colors) and James' invisibility cloak. His friends wished him good luck, and Remus left. He walked down the corridor briskly and his heart hammered like no other.

He and Marlene were identical. It should be natural that they should date, right?

_Right, _he told himself. _She has to say yes._

He arrived at the Ravenclaw door and knocked once. He could hear his heartbeat in his ears.

"How does an endless cycle end?" the door said.

"Uh," Remus stuttered, "when a part of the cycle is diminished or broken, and the cycle cannot fix itself."

"Acceptable answer," the door replied, letting Remus though. Remus threw the invisibility cloak over his shoulders and walked into the room.

The common room was almost empty, as a couple of students finishing their homework were in the corner quietly. They were too deep into their studies to notice that the door opened for apparently no one. Remus looked the bookcases longingly. He then looked at his watch that read the time was eight twenty nine. Marlene would be down here matter of seconds. He walked over to where the game board would appear.

His hands felt clammy, and his stomach flipped around. He glanced at the staircase and hear Marlene's voice, "I don't understand why…" He grinned; _it was show time_.

He anxiously awaited for her to step on the trigger. He saw her confused face, and his own broke into a grin.

Her eyebrow creased even more when her foot landed on the trigger step, and the lights dimmed while the board appeared.

An invisible hand wrote the dashes.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ '_ _ _ _?

Marlene looked confused as ever. She looked at her friends who giggled. One helped her though, by yelling, "You need to guess the letters!"

She looked back at the board and asked aloud, "S?"

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 's _ _ _ ?

_ _ _ _ s

Marlene paused, "R?" The hand wrote one R. Marlene grinned. "E."

The hand wrote two E's.

"M."

The hand wrote one M.

"U."

The hand wrote one U.

The board now read:

_ _ _ e _ _ _ _ _'s _ _ _?

- Remus

Marlene paused, guessing what letter to say next. "T?"

Remus wrote the T.

"N?"

Her Ravenclaw mind kicked in and she solved the rest of the puzzle.

Valentine's Day?

-Remus

Marlene grinned, "Where are you?"

Remus took off James's cloak, smiling nervously and his hand out to give Marlene the bouquet, "Will you?"

"Yes," Marlene said, smiling, causing all of her friends to squeal.

.:.

Sirius wandered back the Gryffindor Common Room. He had been setting up things for Mary's date in Hogsmeade. As he started to climb the stairs to the seventh floor, he saw Remus, with a smile on his face.

"Oi, Moony!" Sirius yelled to him.

Startled, Remus turned around. "Don't yell, Padfoot!" Remus whispered-yelled. "It's past curfew."

"Eh, rules," Sirius said, "So why are you grinning like a fool?"

"Marlene said yes," Remus said proudly.

"That's awesome! I told you she would, mate!" Sirius replied, clapping his friend on the back.

"Yeah, it is. So where were you?"

"Uh, y'know, Hogsmeade," Sirius said, "to set up things for Valentine's Day." Sirius finished when Remus looked at him incredulously.

"So you really like Mary?" Remus asked seriously **(siriusly, haha)**.

"Yeah, I do…" his voice trailed off, "But I think she likes Corner better. He's better for her, I think."

Remus didn't know what to say. Usually, Sirius oozed confidence with girls. Truthfully, John Corner did seem better for Mary than Sirius. Sirius had, well, a history with girls. He's cheated, lied and used many at his years at Hogwarts. Remus understood and appreciated Mary's hesitancy.

But it was also said that opposites attract, and they were indeed opposites, and love comes in many forms.

"Only time will tell, my friend," Remus said, wisely, patting Sirius on the shoulder.

**I'm so fucking sick of people. People wonder why I want to go to a college over a thousand miles away… I've lived in this town way too long.**

**On a lighter note, it's almost New Year's! This chapter seems really short, but I needed it to set it up for Valentine's Day chapter. This is a filler, really. **

**Thanks to:**

**Mee (ILOVEYOU!), Sapphire-Rosethorne (Thanks! I liked in other fics that the other characters had love lives, so I figured I should put it in mine), pinkdude64 (lololol, my good sleeping habits have completely diminished in the 1 ½ weeks I've had off from school), Lilly Luna Potter (I promise that I will never give up on this story, feerrsure. Your review made me smile at my iPod when I was supposed to be listening to someone), ilovemybestfriends (Thanks! And sorry, but the big Valentine's Day chapter is the next one), Loslote (I hope this one is good for you!), xExpectoxPatronumx (thanks! I could say the same about yours!), Not-Different-Just-Me (Thanks so much! I appreciate you), dementorskiss xoxo (Haha, thanks. You'll see the next chapter! And I sent you a message about VTM.), daizygrl320 (thank you so very much!)**


	33. Chapter 33: Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day

"So where are we headed?" Alice said, grabbing Frank's hand.

"What? And ruin the surprise?" Frank teased.

"Surprise? Oh come off it. Now you really have to tell me."

Frank only smiled in return.

"Just promise me it's not at the Hog's Head," Alice said, trying to get some clue.

Frank snapped his fingers, "Darn, you don't like the Hog's Head? I guess my plans are ruined."

Alice groaned but laughed at the same time.

They were usually like this. Even as friends, they bantered like this. Frank may have seemed quiet and shy to most, but his true nature came out whenever he was with Alice. They had been friends since practically birth and were raised as brother and sister. When Alice wrote to her mother to tell her that they were officially a couple earlier in the year, her mother confessed that her and Mrs. Longbottom had been secretly planning their wedding for years.

"But seriously, what are we doing today?" Alice still pressed.

"But seriously, it's a surprise," Frank responded with the same tone as Alice.

"You're killing me here!" Alice exclaimed, rolling her eyes.

"Killing you with looovveeee?" Frank asked, grinning like a fool.

.:.

"Ready to go?" Lily asked, looking around to see where James had gone.

"Ready as you are," he replied, slipping his hand into hers.

She grinned, "How do you do that?"

He pushed open the portrait for her, "What?"

"Be ninja all of the time," Lily said laughing, walking through the doorway in front of James.

She looked behind her to get the answer from James to see that he was already out of their dormitory, grinning.

"Be a what?" he asked with faux innocence.

"How is that possible?" Lily demanded but remained smiling.

Evading the question, James held out his hand, "Shall we?"

She rolled her eyes as his mannerism but placed her hand in his, "We shall."

.:.

Mary descended the last flight of stairs, dreading this whole day. She glanced around to find John. When they made eye contact, John broke out in a smile and walked towards her.

Mary smiled back. John was such a sweet boy.

When they hugged, Mary remembered why she agreed to a date. It wasn't to hurt Sirius. It wasn't to make it known that she didn't like Sirius (which had sort of been a fat lie).

"We haven't been talking much recently. I wasn't even sure if you were going to show. Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," Mary said, the guilt kicking in. "Yeah, I'm fine. I've just been a little distracted lately. No worries though, I'm all yours today!" she smiled at him.

"Good," he smiled back, intertwining their fingers.

She looked into his blue eyes, feeling butterflies.

"Ready to leave?" he asked.

"What?" Mary had still been staring at his eyes. "Oh yeah, let's go," she rushed embarrassedly.

.:.

Frank and Alice arrived on the main street of Hogsmeade. Frank led Alice straight into the Three Broomsticks. Alice smiled; the Three Broomsticks was her favorite place in Hogsmeade. Even though it would be filled to the rim with people, she loved it. You never knew what you'd find there. Today would be no exception of course.

And of course Frank visited beforehand to make sure they had their own little booth to share.

They slipped into their secluded booth.

"How do you know me so well?" Alice demanded of Frank.

"Nearly eighteen years of studying you," he replied, "no creep intended."

"Oh, no creep taken," Alice said, smiling.

Alice glanced around and saw two third years on a date. Alice could tell that the boy was fumbling over his words, and he began to blush furiously. The girl started to blush too. "Awe, look at that young, awkward love," Alice said, gesturing slightly to the blushing couple.

"They're so cute and awkward," Frank agreed.

Sirius walked through the door, looking distracted. Alice furrowed her eyebrows and said, "What's Sirius doing here?"

"I dunno, he looks troubled though," Frank answered.

He did indeed. He walked in, wading through tables, chairs and people to get to the bar. Once he got to the bar, he talked to the new barmaid. The barmaid nodded enthusiastically and beamed at him. Sirius smiled quickly and turned to leave. He hurriedly waded back out through the door.

"That was strange," Frank said.

"Yeah," Alice agreed, "but that's Sirius for you."

Frank chuckled, "Whatever happened to him and Mary?"  
Alice sighed, "Long story short, Mary is going on two dates today. One with John, which should be going on now," she said, glancing at her watch, "and one with Sirius later tonight."

Frank sighed dramatically. "Oh, the drama!" he said, rolling his eyes.

"Oh stop! Just be glad that we're not as dramatic!" Alice said, swatting his arm.

"Oh, I am," he began to grin like a bleeding fool.

"What are you smiling at now?" Alice said.

"Oh nothing," he said, pausing. Alice narrowed her eyes at him in response. "Just the way you said 'we'. I thought it was cute."

"You know what I think?" Alice said, smiling now.

"What? I'm super charming?" Frank said, grasping her hand.

"Mhm and I think I'm super lucky to have a bloke like you."

"Aw, shucks, Alice," Frank said, "You're making me blush!"

"Oh, come here," Alice said, leaning forward and placing a sweet, simple kiss on his lips.

.:.

John directed Mary through Hogsmeade and into Madam Puddifoot's, "I've saved us a spot here. Is that all right?"

Alice would refuse to even take a step in there; Lily would've cringed but gone in anyways. Mary, on the other hand, loved it.

She was a girly girl, full of clichés. She loved the tacky love stories. In the summer, she read hundreds of love stories. One could call her a hopeless romantic.

"Here would be perfect," Mary said, beaming at John.

John sighed in relief and opened the door for Mary.

Inside, the café was warm and cozy. The tables were slightly crammed together, but the decorations were marvelous. Heart confetti was everywhere, and anything that could be shaped like a heart was; chairs, tables, saucers, sugar bowls, you name it.

Mary looked around in amusement; she glanced at John who seemed to be smiling at her own reaction. She blushed.

"Shall we take a seat then?" John said, pulling out a chair for Mary.

Mary smiled at him. He was such a sweet gentleman. She couldn't believe herself for agreeing to be on date with Sirius Black later in the day.

"So how has your weekend been so far?" John asked politely.

_Oh, you know, worrying and dreading every second of this day, _Mary thought to herself.

"Oh, it's been good. It's nice to have the weekend to catch up on everything," Mary replied. "How has your weekend been so far?"

"It's been all right. With N.E.W.T.'s coming closer, it's been getting more stressful."

"Oh, I know!" Mary said enthusiastically. "What classes are you taking this year?"

He began to count off his fingers, "Potions, Charms, Transfiguration, Defense, Ancient Runes and Arthimancy."

"What are you planning on doing then?" Mary asked interested.

"I'm not entirely sure if I'm staying in England. Most of my relatives have moved to other countries for safety. I guess you can't be too careful," he mumbled.

Mary looked at him; she never even considered it before. "I guess it makes sense. It's a tough thing, fighting in this war."

He looked at her gratefully, "Yeah, we're not as brave and passionate as you Gryffindors."

Mary snorted (which was probably very un-ladylike of her), "I have no clue why I'm in Gryffindor. Now that you mention it, going aboard for a couple years wouldn't be a bad idea."

"Really?" John said surprised. "And of course you're a Gryffindor. You're bolder than most."

"Thanks," she smiled, trying not blush.

John sipped his tea and noticed something behind Mary through the slightly fogged window. Mary looked behind her in interest and immediately wished she hadn't.

.:.

Sirius rushed out of the Three Broomsticks and quickly headed farther into Hogsmeade and went into Madam Puddifoot's. Before he walked in, he saw the back of someone's head that looked quite familiar. He then saw John Corner looking at him curiously.

_Oh, bloody hell. I should just turn around and walk away, _Sirius thought to himself.

He planned on doing just that when Mary glanced behind her. Her eye narrowed and a scowl appeared.

_Great, now I look like I'm going back on my word… Or I'm a creep. I'd prefer being a creep at this moment._

Sirius made a quick mental pro's and con's list. He decided that he would just go in Madam Puddifoot's café anyways. Just walk in and walk out.

He opened the door to hear the entrance bells chime. He rushed to Madam Puddifoot who confirmed everything like the barmaid at the Three Broomsticks. He had planned on walking straight back out, but John Corner had other plans.

"Hello, Black," he said brightly. "Making plans for later today?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, later today. Much later today," Sirius added, leaning towards the door.

"Yeah? Who's the lucky girl?" John asked politely.

"Uh, you don't know her, not at all. I bet you have not met this girl," Sirius said nervously and leaning towards the door even more.

John chuckled, "Sure I do. I like to think that Hogwarts is small enough to know everyone."

Sirius began to pale slightly, "Uh, yeah, not from Hogwarts. Gotta go."

With that, he left Madam Puddifoot's and didn't take one glance back.

"What a strange fellow, Black is," John commented after a moment's pause.

"Oh he's a strange bloke all right," Mary said, slowly picking out her words.

"Yeah, you two are in the same House, right?" he asked. Mary nodded cautiously.

"Are you two on good terms?" John asked obliviously.

"Well," Mary paused, "Sort of." She paused again; she either tell him the truth or keep him sheltered. She chose the latter when she informed him, "You know, Lily's my best mate, and she's dating James, who is best friends with Sirius."

John nodded, "That's understandable."

A silence settled between, the type of silence that only happened with new, awkward couples.

"So," Mary started again, "tell me about your family."

With that, John went off talking lovingly about each younger sister he had (three).

While John talked on, Mary decided that John Corner was one sweet, handsome bloke. Being a Quidditch captain made his arms oh-so nicely tanned and toned. She could only imagine how well the rest of his body was…

.:.

"James?" Lily asked, "Where did y-?" She began to squeal. James had disappeared for a moment only to pick up Lily fireman-rescue style.

"James!" she squealed, "Put me down, right now!" She tried to sound demanding, but the sound of her laughter ruined the effect.

James rearranged Lily so he was now carrying her like a bride. She tried to give him a serious look. "Can you put me down now?"

"Oh, I dunno," he replied. "Only if you say how much you fancy me."

"Oh stop being a prat," she said, smacking him playfully.

James feigned to be hurt from her smack. "Ouch, oh no, I'm dropping you!" he said, loosening his grip purposely.

Lily shrieked as she felt herself fall slightly. Unfortunately, James's foot found an icy spot, and he slipped.

Lily's scream became real as the both of them fell backwards and hit the snow bank.

"Oomph," James said as he hit into the snow bank. Lily was now sitting on James's chest, perfectly unharmed. She started smiling.

"You bloody fool. I told you put me down!"

James chuckled, "Hey, you're fine. I'm the one with the huge amount of snow on my back."

Lily laughed and carefully disentangled herself. James went to stand up to feel a severe pain in shoot into his ankle.

"Ow!" he yelled in surprise.

Lily gave him a look, "Don't tell me you hurt yourself from that."

"I didn't hurt myself from that," James said, still not standing up.

Lily sighed and looked at him, "Do we need to go to Madam Pomfrey?"

James shook his hand dismissively, "I'll be fine." He attempted to stand up again to feel the sharp pain.

Lily watched his face grimace while trying to put pressure on his ankle. "We're seeing Madam Pomfrey."

"Oh, c'mon, Lils!" James pleaded with Lily, "I have great plans for today!"

She looked at him skeptically, "I'm sure we'll find something to do. Do you need help up?"

He scoffed but tried to stand on his own again, "Yes, please."

.:.

Remus was finishing a story about his fourth year, when the Marauders had played the prank of the year on the Slytherins.

"So, whenever they tried the normal counter-curse, it only made their hair most prominently green. One of the seventh years used it so many times that his hair was neon green," Remus said.

Marlene laughed. Remus usually didn't tell so many stories about his pranking, but Marlene loved them. And more importantly, Remus loved her laugh.

Silence fell upon them. Marlene didn't mind silence. She never felt like someone should be talking all of the time. She figured that Remus felt the same way since he was smiling and strolling along.

Marlene could also not believe her luck. She was holding hands with one of the Marauders, one of the four most popular blokes at Hogwarts, and it wasn't Peter either. She was ecstatic when Remus had asked her out. He was so charming and intelligent.

He wasn't like any of the other guys she's "dated". He was clever, like a raven, but also bold, like a lion.

She actually wondered why he wasn't sorted into Ravenclaw. In the stories he told, he was usually the master-mind behind them. He thought of combinations of spells and charms that even she didn't consider.

They slowly strolled back to the castle. When they entered through the doors, Remus saw a red headed figure and a taller black haired one about three flights ahead of him and Marlene.

Marlene looked quizzically at Remus, "Is that…?"

"I believe it is," Remus answered, looking at his friends strangely.

Remus noticed that James was hopping up each stair, and Lily was shaking her head. Remus could easily guess what happened without even asking. James had hurt his ankle or foot doing something stupid before Lily and James could even leave the grounds. Now, Lily was dragging him to Madam Pomfrey against his will.

"Should we catch up with them?" Marlene asked politely.

"I figure we should."

.:.

"James, will you let me help you, please?" Lily exclaimed.

"I'm fine, really," James said breathlessly. "Just gotta… hop up… four more… flights."

"Let me at let charm you a stretcher or something!"

"Nope, I'm doing good," James insisted.

"Doing good, eh, Prongs?" Remus called up the couple.

"Thank Merlin, Remus!" Lily cried down to him. "He's been hopping up every stair!"

Remus and Marlene laughed. They quickly caught up to Lily and James, who were now on half-way to the fourth floor.

"So how did this happen?" Remus inquired to Lily, as James was busy huffing and puffing along.

"He was being an over-confident prat," Lily said simply.

"I see," Remus said, "so his usual self, then?"

James stopped for a moment and turned to glare back on his friends. "Hey!"

"Oh, you know it's one of your most endearing qualities, honey," Lily said, rolling her eyes. Marlene laughed softly, and Remus rolled his eyes.

"He's refusing help, I take it?"

"Yes," Lily sighed. "I offered to help him walk, but he refused. I offered to charm him a splint, and he refused. I offered to charm him a stretcher, and he refused."

Remus laughed, "That's James for you. Difficult and quite dull."

"I can… hear you!" James yelled

"Hey James," Marlene paused. "Have you considered crawling?"

James stopped hopping for a moment to consider it. "Y'know… Marlene… You're smart."

James began crawling like a toddler up the stairs. Marlene answered quietly that only Remus and Lily could hear, "Well I am a Ravenclaw."

Lily and Remus laughed. James was crawling a few steps ahead of the rest of them, when he turned a corner, right where Professor McGonagall was.

"Greetings, Professor!" James said brightly, now that he caught his breath.

"Potter, what are you doing crawling along the castle?" Professor McGonagall said sternly.

"Uh, well see, Professor…" James said, not sure how to explain the predicament.

Lily, Remus and Marlene turned the corner now too. They said in unison, "Hello Professor."

"Good afternoon Ms. Evans, Ms. McKinnon and Mr. Lupin," McGonagall replied. "I expect that you keep him on a tighter leash from now on," she said, nodding towards Lily.

Lily broke a grin and attempted to keep her laughter in, "I'll try, Professor."

Before McGonagall left, she flashed a very small but very rare smile at the group of seventh years.

.:.

"Hey, Mary?" John asked while they walked back to Hogwarts after a lovely time at Madam Puddifoot's.

Other than the slightly rocky beginning and seeing Sirius, Mary had one of the best dates of her life. Mary was sure that John had an equal amount of fun on their date too. He was nothing but smiles.

"Yes, John?"

He paused for a moment, "Today was great. You're a quite lovely girl. Sweet, intelligent…"

Mary blushed in response.

"Anyways, I think I really like you. Will you please be my girlfriend?"

.:.

"Hey Lily! PSSSTTT!" James said, grinning ear-to-ear.

"What James?" she replied laughing.

"I like your nose!" James laughed.

Lily started to crack up. James had finally made the seven flights of stairs trek. Remus and Marlene had left them on sixth floor, presumably to deliver Marlene to her common room. Madam Pomfrey had given him quite strong pain potions due to the swelling of his ankle. She had to wait before she magically fix it until the swelling went down.

He continued grinning ear-to-ear.

"What now, fool?"

"You're so cute," he replied lovingly.

Lily shook her head laughing, "Thank you, James."

"No, thank you!" James replied, trying to sound meaningful. "Your eyes are lovely."

"Lie down, James," Lily replied, "Before Madam Pomfrey gets back."

"But your hair!" he exclaimed. "It's so pretty!"

"James, lie down!"

"I like your freckles too and your skin. It's nice," James laid down contently.

And in good time too. Madam Pomfrey entered in the Hospital Wing and began to examine his ankle.

.:.

"I hope you had a lovely time today," Remus spoke to Marlene outside the Ravenclaw Common Room. He grasped both of her hands.

"Oh, I definitely did," Marlene answered.

"Good," Remus said, smiling. He paused; he couldn't decide what to do. He decided to just go for it.

"Marlene, I know we haven't really been all too close until just recently, but I really like you, and I hope you like me. Will you be my girlfriend?"

Marlene smiled but didn't respond right away. "Of course I like you, Remus. You'd have to be bloody blind to not see that and yes."

"Yes?" Remus asked.

"Yes," Marlene replied, kissing him.

**A/N: So… I hope you all had a better Valentine's Day than me! I came home from school and fell asleep until I woke up the next morning. I feel like a jerk. A big, rude jerk. So I made this chapter over three thousand words. That's three times longer than a normal chapter. I feel bad though still. I apologize to all of you that read this because it really shouldn't take an author this long to update. It's also difficult when no one that knows me in real life (haha, like fanfiction is fake life or something) knows that I write. Or read fanfiction. Or have a life out of sports… Next chapter will be surprise. What do you guys think Mary should do? Say yes or no? Still go on the date with Sirius? I'll let you guys pick because you all are so lovely. Gymnastics ended also, so hypothetically, I should have more time, but I start diving next Monday :D. Which isn't particularly good news for writing, but did you know that fourteen college coaches have expressed interest in my diving? It's pretty awesome. I can't believe that I actually finished this chapter. I've been working on it since I published the last one. But I did lose about three earlier drafts of these. I still haven't found them. I wrote them in some notebook during school. Anyways, enough of my rambling!**

**Thanks to:**

**Sapphire-Rosethorne (Awe, thanks, you're making me blush!), pinkdude64 (Haha, I feel like I can only update at night, sorry!), Not-Different-Just-Me (Haha, thanks so much! If you saw me in person, you would definitely not think that I'm a writer), Loslote (Thanks! I had a streak of creativity!), Lilly Luna Potter (THANKSTHANKSTHANKS!), dementorskiss xoxo (Haha, thanklies mucho! Of course I could never be sick of you!), karoolis (Thanks! I am very busy, thanks for noticing, haha!)**

**Does anyone read these perchance? Because I don't really y'know reply… Maybe I should start doing that instead… Tell me in a review!**


	34. Chapter 34: Glittering Eyes

Glittering Eyes

"_Anyways, I think I really like you. Will you please be my girlfriend?"_

Mary looked at him, smiling a little sadly. "I really like you too, John… a lot. You're the most polite, kind and caring person I've met."

John stopped walking, and Mary did too. He focused on something straight ahead, not looking at Mary, "But…?"

Mary looked down, heartbroken. John Corner didn't deserve this drama that Mary was about to bring. In a split second, she decided that she didn't want anything to do with Sirius Black.

She wanted a simple, straightforward relationship, and John was here. Sirius Black was a troublesome Marauder. As attractive and sweet he was, Mary didn't think she could stand the pressure. Girls would always be batting their eyelashes at him and glaring at Mary. Sirius could be blind to that, but Mary couldn't turn the other way.

Maybe this was irrational thinking, but this is what she wanted right now.

She looked up at him to see that he was already studying her facial expressions.

She sighed, but she was smiling, "But, I would love to be your girlfriend."

His face lit up exceptionally. His blue eyes seemed to dance around, and his face broke into a huge grin. Mary herself was grinning. She was glad that she had such a large effect on him.

Her mind brought up the picture of Sirius Black and his smile after they kissed.

She pushed that away. She was with John Corner now, and she was happy.

.:.

Madam Pomfrey opened the doors to the infirmary. She glanced around for Lily and saw her sitting on a bench. "Miss Evans, you can come back in. Your friend, Mr. Potter has a severely sprained ankle. He's very lucky that he didn't dislocate it."

Lily stood up and walked towards the doors, "How's he feeling?"

Lily could've sworn that she smiled, "His ankle is healing quite quickly, but I had to give him more pain potions, as the healing charms I had to use were painful."

Lily groaned internally. She knew that James was going to a babbling fool, worse than he was before.

Madam Pomfrey opened the door to allow Lily, and Lily saw him.

James had his ankle wrapped tightly in white bandages. It was also elevated magically. He was looking at his elevated ankle as a puppy looks at a new thing to explore. Lily also noticed his glasses were crooked.

She held back a laugh. James had still not noticed Lily, but he was waving his hand above his foot, checking for strings. His eyebrows drew together when he didn't find any invisible strings.

He checked to the left and right of his ankle with his hand, "I don' getit."

Lily used a majority of her self control not to snort, "Don't get what, James?"

James noticed Lily now and plastered a grin on his face. "Lil! You've come back," he hiccupped, "to me!"

"Yes, I did," Lily said, eyes twinkling. James only grinned with his glasses still crooked.

Lily bent over to James to fix his glasses. James had other plans though. He stuck his tongue as far out as possible and tried to lick Lily's face.

"James!" Lily exclaimed.

"Yes?" he replied, trying to look innocent.

"Did you just try to lick me?"

He looked down at his lap, "No."

Lily's eyebrows rose, "Are you quite sure?"

James sighed, "I was trying to lick your face. I wanted to see how it tasted."

Lily glanced at Madam Pomfrey, who was back in her office. Lily could swear that her coughing sounded quite a lot like laughing. She turned back to James who plastered his smile back on his face.

"Have I ever told you how much I love your eyes?"

"Yes, James, about a half an hour ago," Lily said, biting back laughter.

"Good, because they're like emeralds, really pretty emeralds. They glitter a lot when I kiss you and when you're laughing."

Lily blushed furiously, "James!"

James looked alarmed immediately, "Lily?"

"Don't say things like that!"

"Like what? Your eyes are beautiful. Did you know that?"

Remus walked into the infirmary. He noticed James immediately, "Hey, Prongs, how are you feeling?"

James looked around for Remus, "I'm quite good. I'm just telling Lily about her eyes." He whispered to Remus, "Did you know that they glitter when I kiss her?"

Remus glanced at Lily, laughing. Her face was blushing, and she was hiding her face in hands. Remus patted her on the back.

"This won't leave the infirmary, I swear," Remus said quietly to her.

She exhaled, "Thanks a bunch, Remus."

James was looking out the window, "Why is there cotton candy on the ground and in the sky?"

"Because you like cotton candy," Remus replied.

"I do like cotton candy," James said in a matter of fact way.

Lily rolled her eyes, "So how is Marlene?"  
It was Remus's turn to blush.

"Did you ask her?" Lily asked excitedly.

Remus nodded, "She said yes."

Lily smiled, "I'm so happy for you, Remus! You two are so lovely together!"

Remus continued to blush, "Thanks, Lily."

They turned their attention back to James. He was looking at his with extreme interest, looking at how his fingers and wrist bent. He wiggled his fingers in his face. He snorted with amusement.

Remus and Lily looked at each other and burst out laughing.

James grabbed Lily hand gently, "Hey, do you know how gorgeous your eyes are?"

.:.

Mary and John slowly climbed the stairs up to the fourth floor. They were holding hands and were in a lovely mood. They were close to each other and holding hands.

They practically radiated the essence of Valentine's Day: loving, happy and completely oblivious to everything else in the world.

At least that's what Sirius Black was thinking in his head. He was two staircases behind them after finally leaving Hogsmeade, finishing all the details for his date with Mary tonight.

Sirius heard little snippets of their conversation. Things like Mary's favorite color (orange), John Corner's birthday (April 21st). He walked as slow as possible. The shortcut he planned on taking was still one more story up.

"I hope you know how happy you've made me," Sirius heard John say. "I've wanted to properly be your boyfriend for awhile now."

Sirius quickly slipped behind a tapestry, the shortcut to the seventh floor. Seeing Mary and John made Sirius uneasy. It made him especially uneasy what John said. He couldn't possibly be Mary's boyfriend. She promised him one date…

Mary looked so happy. He knew that he shouldn't have been so confident before, but he was Sirius Black. Almost all girls at Hogwarts would do anything to go even a date with him! The exceptions were Lily (obviously) and now apparently Mary. He wondered if she even wanted to go on a date with him anymore.

He shook his head. _She had promised, hadn't she?_

Sirius exited through another tapestry and came out next to the Hospital Wing. He heard laughing that suspiciously like Remus's and Lily's. He also heard grunting coming from the Hospital Wing.

He suspiciously glanced into the infirmary and exhaled, relieved.

Lily and Remus were indeed laughing, but they were laughing at James, who was attempting to lick his elbow to no avail. He took a double take on James. He was lying in a hospital bed with an elevated ankle.

"What did you do to yourself, Prongs?" Sirius strolled in the Hospital Wing.

James stopped mid-lick and looked at Sirius. When James realized who it was, he started grinning like a fool again.

"Padfoot, did you know that Lily's eyes glitter when I kiss her?" James said, even through Lily's and Remus's protests.

Sirius's eyebrows rose significantly, and he looked over at a blushing Lily, "Do they now?"

"Mhm," James said, looking proud of himself.

"I thought you had your date with Mary pretty soon," Lily said, trying to change the topic.

"Er, yeah," Sirius paused, "I do, but she's still with Corner."

Lily looked at him questioningly, as did Remus. They could tell something was off by his tone.

Before they could begin to question him, Madam Pomfrey appeared next to James and started to unwrap his ankle. She spoke to the group, "Mr. Potter needs his rest now. You can come back in a couple hours."

Grumbling slightly, Sirius, Remus and Lily left the infirmary.

"What did James even do?"

Lily laughed, "Well, see, he picked me up, and he kind of tripped and sprained his ankle."

Sirius barked a laugh, "Typical James then, huh?"

They turned the corner to the Gryffindor Common Room to see Mary and John snogging, quite happily and right in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady.

Remus cleared his throat, "It's wonderful that you guys feel that way about each other, but you might want to select a more, uh, private section of the castle and not the one right in front of our dormitories."

Lily looked at Remus, slightly shocked. He was usually never this forward, and Lily could swear that there was a trace of anger. In all seven years at Hogwarts, she never heard Remus raise his voice. Lily noticed Sirius also; he was flushed but looking straight through the couple. She could tell that Sirius was angry and hurt.

Lily also felt unexplainably angry at Mary. She pushed the thought away. She would wait until she heard everything from Mary before deciding anything.

The couple broke apart, and John looked down, slightly ashamed. Mary glared at Remus, "Sorry for blocking your path, Lupin." Even though her words were apologetic, her tone suggested otherwise.

She walked away, John following close behind. Lily frowned at Mary's back. Mary rarely raised her voice either. Something was off…

Remus and Sirius entered the common room ahead of Lily. Sirius looked crushed. He sat on the couch, staring at the fire.

She looked at Remus for support, but he was staring stonily at the fire too. She spoke quietly, "Just because they kissed doesn't mean that she doesn't-."

Sirius cut her off, "Doesn't mean what? Just because she bloody snogged Corner doesn't mean she not going to date you? Is that was you were going to say?" Sirius's voice was deadly.

Remus sighed, "Don't blame Lily, Sirius. She's only trying to help."

Sirius muttered an apology and continued to look at the fire. They were all silent for a few moments before Sirius spoke quietly.

"I was walking behind John and Mary before I went to the Hospital Wing. I overheard John say to her how happy he was that they were officially a couple now."

The silence settled again. Remus and Lily didn't have a clue how to comfort Sirius. They both have had their fair share of troubles when it came to love, but nothing like this.

Lily tried to talk to him again, "It'll be okay. Mary will probably get annoyed with John by in a month or so. He's nothing compared to you."

Sirius didn't answer. He stood up and started walking towards the exit of the common room.

"Where are you going, Padfoot? Beating the pulp out of John Corner will only make things ten times worse," Remus said, watching his friend apprehensively.

"I wasn't going to. I just don't want to be here when Mary gets back," Sirius said, already half-way through the Fat Lady portrait.

Remus and Lily watched him leave.

"Don't feel bad, Lily. It's Mary's decisions, not yours," Remus said.

She sighed, "I know. I've never seen him that down before. I was just trying to help."

"Sirius is near impossible to be cheered up by anyone other than James. They've got a close bond."

Lily shook her head, "You can say that again. They're practically brothers."

Alice and Frank entered the common room, and both had a look of confusion on their face.

"We saw Sirius leaving here. He wasn't really himself," Alice said, eyebrows drawn together.

"Doesn't he have a date with Mary tonight?" Frank asked.

Remus and Lily looked at each other. "Would you like to recount what happened today, Lily?"

"All right, tuck yourselves in. It all started with James…"

.:.

Sirius walked around the castle with aimlessly. He wanted to be anywhere but the Gryffindor Common Room. He found himself in front of the Room of Requirement.

He didn't even know what he wanted. He wanted to be alone, but he wanted his friends. He wanted Mary, but he wanted nothing to do with her. He wanted someone to talk to, but he didn't want to talk to anyone. He paced three times in front of the wall, wishing for someplace to sit and stay for awhile.

He opened the door to find a replica of his room at Grimmauld Place. Pictures of him and his friends were plastered all over the walls. His red and gold drapes and bedspread still seemed rebellious to him, even though he wasn't home anymore.

He hadn't been in this room for almost a year now. He wondered idly if his parents had been able to change anything in his room. He didn't really care. Sirius Black was never going to return to that blasted house.

He crawled into his bed, like he had when he was a small child. He pulled up his covers and smelled them. The Room of Requirement even had gotten the smell right.

He dozed off, hoping to feel better when he woke up.

**A/N: Well… I updated a little bit quicker than last time… I'm truly sorry. I think I've got the rest of this fic planned out though. It's going to end with forty-one chapters at the moment, but I might add some or merge some. I have decided that it's going to end after graduation. If you guys want to add something into the story, leave it in a review. How cruel am I for making Mary choose John? Go ahead and bash me in a review! Also what do you think is the Hogwarts graduation cermony?**

**Thanks to:**

**Pinkdude64, Sapphire-Rosethorne, mona moi, PenguinBoxers and Sparkle Ninja27. **

**I'm starting to just reply to each person instead of typing it in here.**


	35. Chapter 35: Intentions

Intentions

James walked back to the Gryffindor common room. The pain in his ankle was slight, and the pain potions were wearing off now. He had these vague dreams that he was telling Lily about her eyes…

He shrugged it off. He's had much weirder dreams before, like the one about the mushroom and the crocodile. He shivered uncontrollably.

He turned the corridor to see a familiar figure walking a good twenty paces ahead of him. "Oi, Padfoot!"

Sirius turned around to see James, hobbling happily along.

"How's your ankle feeling, Prongs?" he frowned at his friend's ankle.

James shrugged, "It's fine. I'll be fine by tomorrow." James noticed that Sirius wasn't up to his usual, vibrant self. "What's up, Padfoot?"

Sirius sighed, "McDonald and Corner are dating officially right now. She didn't even give me a chance, mate."

James frowned. "I'm really sorry, Padfoot, but as we both know, there's plenty of," he paused, forgetting what came next.

"Plenty of fish in the sea?" Sirius continued dully.

James snapped his fingers and smiled, "See? You know."

Sirius smiled faintly, "Thanks, mate."

James clasped Sirius's shoulder, "I think it's time for a prank or two. Don't you think, Padfoot? Maybe meet a girl or two?"

Sirius grinned genuinely now, "That sounds brilliant."

.:.

Lily and Alice waited on Mary's bed, intending to question Mary as soon as her foot set in the dormitory. Mary intended to quietly sneak through the common room, into her dormitory and straight into her bed.

Mary had indeed snuck past the Marauders in the common room without detection, but she found her friends sitting on her bed. She sighed; she knew she owed them an explanation.

"Details, now please," Alice spoke with her hands crossed over her chest.

"I'm not sure what really came over me. I just," she paused, thinking of how to re-account the days' events.

As she told her friends every minute of their date, leading up to John asking her to be his girlfriend, Lily and Alice silently listened.

"…And so I said yes."

"Well, as that was a lovely description of a great date in Hogsmeade, you are not explaining the reasoning of your rude treatment of a very disappointed Sirius Black," Alice pointed out.

Mary sighed and sat on the bed next to them, "I don't really know. I really like Sirius, but I'm afraid that I'm going to end up like all of his other girlfriends, thrown away when something else shiny and new comes up."

Lily spoke quietly, "I was too, with James, you know."

Mary rubbed her eyes, "But everyone knows you two are perfect for each other."

"That doesn't mean I didn't have to take a chance, Mary. Love is always a risk, no matter who it's with," Lily said, her tone still quiet, "even with John."

"I know, I know," Mary moaned, standing up now. "I just want something simple. John is sweet and simple. Sirius is unpredictable and dynamic." She paced around the dormitory, "I'm simple too." Small hints of tears began to form in Mary's eyes. She wiped them away stubbornly.

"I never intended to cause any of this. I hate this! I should just break it off with John and apologize to Sirius, and then I'll never date anyone. I'll just be an old maid." She dabbed her eyes again.

"That would just make John unhappy, not to mention yourself, Mary. You need to do what you want to, but you do need to apologize Sirius. He deserves it," Lily said amicably.

Alice spoke next, "We love you, no matter who you love, okay?"

Mary nodded and embraced the two of them.

.:.

Lily and James walked down a fifth floor corridor, fingers intertwined. They were patrolling on a Friday night and had found three couples already snogging in the cupboards.

"I'm really sorry about yesterday," James said apologetically. "First for hurting my ankle; second for ruining Valentine's Day, and third for completely embarrassing you."

Lily laughed, remembering the hospital wing, "Did you really love my eyes that much that you felt the need to tell me five thousand times?"

"No." James grinned, "Hey Lils, I love your eyes. I felt the need to tell you five thousand and one times."

Lily was about to retort when she heard a thump and a giggle coming from a cupboard to the right. She sighed instead, "Couple number four. This is getting ridiculous."

James nodded and flicked his wrist at the door, causing two figures to tumble out. One was a blonde girl, fifth year Ravenclaw that James recognized, but he couldn't remember her name. The other figure was quite familiar on the other hand…

"Sirius?" Lily said incredulously.

Sirius got up and offered a hand to the girl he'd fallen on before answering, "Yes, Lily-dear?"  
"What are you doing?" she asked.

Sirius coughed, "Well, it looks exactly how it is."

An awkward silence settled between the strange group. The Ravenclaw was blushing furiously and standing there awkwardly.

James finally came to his senses, "All right, go back to your common rooms. We're not docking points this time, but if we catch you another time, we will."

The girl left in a hurry, and Sirius too began to walk away, "One moment, Padfoot."

Sirius turned around, "Yes, Prongs?"

"What the hell?" Lily asked, before James could fit a word.

"What do you mean?"

Lily looked murderously at him, and James cleared his throat and spoke, "Er, what about the whole Mary fiasco, mate?"

Sirius shrugged, "What about it? She's over it and so am I."

James just looked at his friend in response, knowing that something was wrong.

Sirius continued, "Why should I care about a stupid bird who won't give me the time of day? In fact, why should I care about birds in general? They're all the same."

Lily rose her eyebrows and was about to interrupt him, when James covered her mouth with his hand.

"They're all shallow and leave you for some bloke that doesn't even know them. All girls are good for is a quick snog, y'know? Quick snog and you're done. No feelings, no attachments and definitely no disappointments."

Lily stepped forward embraced Sirius, and she felt him inhale shakily. Over the course of this year, Sirius had really become a good friend to Lily, making her laugh when she's stressed, getting her desserts in the middle of her studying and being there when James couldn't. He wasn't a good friend; he was a brother that she never knew she wanted.

.:.

The next day in Charms, the bell rang promptly signaling lunch time. James and Sirius rushed out of the classroom. Remus and Frank left the classroom soon after, discussing an article they read in the Prophet this morning. Alice and Mary walked out of the classroom yelling to Lily, "We're getting lunch, slow-poke!"

Lily stuck her tongue out at her friends and packed her things up. The only other person in the room was Peter. Lily wasn't as close to Peter as the other Marauders, but she still liked to call him a friend. She fell in step with him, deciding to have a conversation with him.

"Hey, Pete, how was your Valentine's day date?"

He looked mildly surprised that Lily was talking to him but still answered, "It was all right. How was yours?"

Lily laughed, "Just all right? James sprained his ankle, didn't you hear? We didn't even make it to Hogsmeade!"

Peter laughed agreeably, "Ah, I remember now. Just a typical James moment, I guess."

"So how have you been?" Lily asked as they headed down to the Great Hall.

"I've been doing fine," he answered lamely.

"Yeah, how's the girl?" she nudged him, playfully.

His forehead turned pink, "She's f-fine."

Lily laughed, "Everything's fine, is it?"

Peter laughed too, but he seemed tense, "Yeah." He paused, "I left something in the common room. I'll meet you guys down there, okay?"

Lily looked at him, detecting a lie, "Okay, Pete. Don't forget that I'm here to talk to, all right?"

"S-sure," he stammered and turned down a corridor.

When Lily was out of his sight, Mulciber stepped behind a tapestry, "I thought that mudblood would never leave." He spat on the ground.

Peter internally struggled with himself. _Lily was a good person,_ he thought to himself. _Not a mudblood._

He strongly wished he had the bravery to say that out loud.

"Have you thought about our offer?" Mulciber asked Peter.

"I h-have, but could I have another w-week to d-decide?"

Mulciber nearly hissed, "What's so difficult to decide, Pettigrew? Pick our side; the side that will prevail."

When Peter didn't answer, he spat on the ground again, "Two weeks, Pettigrew. Then, your time is up."

**A/N: I swear, my hair hates me. It turns gold every time I dye it. I dyed it "medium ash blonde" and within a week, it turned back to golden. Coincidentally, I'm considering changed my pen name to Goldilocks. I'm not sure yet, what do you think?**

**Oh, and it's about 3:30 AM right now. I fell asleep playing Pokémon this afternoon, and I'm still tired enough to fall back asleep. Anways…**

**Thanks to:**

**Loslote, Sapphire-Rosethorne, Can't we just be death eaters, pinkdude64, MXlover5 and Sparkle Ninja27. You are all amazing, superb and deserve cookies.**

**Oh, and I also apologize about how long it's been. For those who read my other story, you know that it was my birfday last week, and I've been plenty busy. I want to finish this story with 45 chapters, but I need ideas, so leave them in a review. You can leave strange words that should be put into the chapter, strange objects or ideas.**

**Thanks all :) **


	36. Chapter 36: New Developments of Sorts

New Developments of Sorts

Lily and James slowly walked down to the Great Hall for breakfast one morning in March. The weather was absolutely horrid. The snow was nothing but slush, and rain droplets the size of galleons came with a force strong enough to cancel Herbology.

When they arrived, both of the Head Students noticed the whole hall was abuzz about something. Looking at each other with complete confusion, they quickly rushed to their friends, who were huddling over something they couldn't see.

Once Lily saw it, she gasped. On the front page of the Daily Prophet, there was a picture of five dead with a blaring headline of "Family of Five Brutally Murdered, Who-Must-Not-Be-Named Suspected". Lily quickly scanned the article.

_March 13__th__, 1978, Aurors find a family of five brutally murdered in their family home. The suspected time of murder was March 12__th__. John Burke, father, had no suspected actions in the resistance movement against Voldemort. Kathleen, mother, also had no actions in the resistance, but her muggle-born status may have been involved. Two sons, Greg (ten years of age) and Nicolas (seven years of age) along with their sister, Hannah (four years of age) were murdered along with their parents. If there is any information regarding their deaths, contact Auror Moody (Head Auror) or Bartemius Crouch (Head of International Affairs). Rewards are awarded._

Lily felt light-headed. Five completely innocent people have been murdered, especially those three children. For what? Having a muggle-born mother? For being half-blood?

Lily couldn't take it. She felt so sick, so light-headed. She let go of James's hand and left the Great Hall, feeling several pairs of eyes follow her. Tears forming at the edges of Lily's eyes obscured her vision. She didn't care; she knew where she was headed.

.:.

James stood in shock. Sure, they had been murders and attacks quite a lot recently, but this had to be considered the worst. A family not even associated with the Order had been murdered, brutally and along with their equally innocent children. The oldest boy, Greg, would have been heading to Hogwarts the next year, but his opportunity of even learning any sort of magic had been taken away viciously from him.

He felt Lily let go of his hand and walk away, dazed. He felt like he should go after her, but he felt rooted to the spot. He would find her once she calmed down a little bit.

Alice stood up to go after her friend, but James stopped her, "Let her take in a bit." Alice nodded but still looked at her friend's back sadly.

James looked around to see that Mary and Sirius had been missing from the normal group, as well as Peter also. Frank and Alice were sharing a silent conversation, and Remus sat at the table, staring at the paper sadly. James had no doubts that Remus felt horrible as well. His status at a werewolf, if fully exposed, would be a worse affiliation than being a muggle-born.

James pulled out the Marauder's Map and pointed his wand at it. He barely whispered the words, and the ink began to spread like a spider weaving its web. He quickly looked at the Head's dormitory, to see Lily's dot not there. He glanced through the Gryffindor Common Room, the library and all of the girl's bathrooms; Lily wasn't anywhere.

He looked through all of the classrooms and found Sirius's and Mary's dot both on the Astronomy Tower and in awful close proximity. He frowned at that. Once he found the dot labeled Lily Evans, he exhaled relieved. She was in one of her favorite short-cuts, the one he showed her on the first day of school this year. Her dot stayed stationary, and James closed the map, mumbling the words quietly.

"You okay, Moony?"

Remus snapped out of his daze and looked at James, "I'm fine, Prongs."

James nodded; he knew he wasn't fine, but Remus didn't like to express much emotion, especially in front a crowd of people. "I'll be here for you, mate," James said, clasping his shoulder.

"Thanks, James," Remus said passively, and he went back to staring at the cold food on his plate.

James stood up, leaving to meet where he saw Lily's dot last.

.:.

Lily looked out the window, completely deflated. Her tears ran down her cheeks without care. She knew the war was getting bad, but this bad? She wanted to be a Healer; she wanted a family; she wanted to grow old without worry.

Her innocent mind had always told her that she wouldn't have to worry about the war because it _had_ to be over by the time she graduated. The horrid weather matched her mood quite well. She heard familiar footsteps approach her. She knew it was James.

James Potter. Her boyfriend. A pure-blood. Like the late John Burke. Who was murdered for having a muggle-born wife. Her boyfriend.

James said nothing but instead hugged her from behind around the waist. She wanted to crumble into his embrace, but instead she turned to face him. If James was surprised by the amount of tears on Lily's face, he didn't show it. He kissed her forehead.

"James?" Lily asked shakily.

"Mhm?"

Lily whispered, "I don't think I can do this anymore."  
He scrunched his eyebrows, "Do what?"

She inhaled slowly, "This." She motioned between them.

"Us? Are you breaking up with me?" James's voice didn't get angry, but he still frightened Lily.

Lily looked down at her feet so she didn't need to make eye contact with him, "We had a good run, didn't we? Nearly four months, right?"

"Why are you doing this, Lily?"

When she didn't answer or look at him, he lightly titled her face towards his, "Is this because of what's in the paper?"

She began silently crying again, "I can't do this to you, James. I'm endangering you just by dating you. The world's not safe for us."

James stood a moment in shocked silence, "What do you mean you're endangering me? Because you're a muggle-born, and I'm a pure-blood? What does that have to do with anything? Sirius Black is my best friend, and his family is heavily related to the Dark Arts. My other best friend is Remus Lupin, who happens to be a werewolf and a half-blood. My father and mother were famous in the Ministry when they worked. My father still does interviews from time to time. Not even to mention myself, who has played several pranks on the soon-to-be Death Eaters. I'm planning on joining the resistance and becoming an Auror."

Lily said nothing for moments. She listened to James and lost control of her tears. Once James finished, he looked at her expectantly, and when she didn't say anything, James began to panic.

"These four months have flown by because of you, Lils. I love waking up and seeing your face, brushing our teeth together, eating breakfast together, sitting next to you in all of our classes we have, studying together, even though I'm just distracting you most of the time. I love your tiny little freckles across your face, your beautiful red hair and your eyes that know exactly what I'm thinking, no matter how hard I try to hide things. I love you, Lily Evans, despite we're in the middle of war."

Lily finally looked up at him, with tears in her eyes, "What if I get us killed?"

"I'd rather be dead with you than alive without you," James said, cradling her face.

"I wanted to be a Healer. I wanted to have kids. I wanted to grow old."

"You still can. We've just have to end this war, first," James said, much more relaxed that she no longer wanted to break it off with him.

Lily stayed quiet for a couple a moments before speaking, "Thanks a lot, James. I love you too."

.:.

Sirius, after reading the Daily Prophet this morning, wandered around the castle. Herbology was the first class of the day, and it had been cancelled, due to the severe weather. He found himself in the Astronomy Tower, when he saw another figure sitting on the ground, with their knees brought close to them. He recognized the figure as none other Mary McDonald.

Instead of turning the opposite direction and pretending like he never even saw her, like he probably should have, he sat next to her. She held her head in her hands, "What do you want, Black?"

Sirius shrugged, but he realized that she wasn't looking at him, "I don't know. Company, I guess."

"What's good my company?" Mary asked agitated, and she looked ahead.

Sirius shrugged, "Better than none."

"How? You should properly hate me," Mary said, making eye contact.

"I don't though," Sirius shrugged. "I should, but I don't."

An awkward silence settled between them, "I'm not going to snog you, no matter how long you stay out here with me."

Sirius sighed, "That's good. I didn't want you to."

"What?"

"I don't want you to snog me, as I'm officially over you," Sirius said without emotion.

Mary raised her eyebrows, "Really?"  
"Yeah," Sirius said.

"That's…" she paused, "good."

"Yeah," Sirius repeated. "Why aren't you with Corner?"

Mary waved her hand dismissively, "He's off somewhere with his friends."

"He didn't ask you how you felt?" Sirius asked incredulously.

Mary shrugged, "I'm not too upset, actually. Neither is he, I imagine." She paused, unsure of whether to speak her mind, "We're planning on leaving England after graduation."

Sirius looked at her, surprised, "Leaving England? Why?"

"I don't want to suffer through my life because of this goddamn war, and neither does he," Mary said simply.

"Where are you going then?"  
Mary shrugged, "France possibly, or maybe America or Australia. We're not too sure yet."

"So you're just leaving all of your friends and family here to fend for themselves? I didn't know you became so shallow, McDonald," Sirius said bitterly. With that, he stood up left her.

**A/N: Someone requested drama, and there you have it! I'm apparently ending with forty-three chapters, but I want a nice number, like forty-five. So give me ideas! This fic is almost two years old, what? Summer's almost here, what?**

**Anyways, a lovely thank-you and cookie for:**

**Karoolis, AnnaxStoney, Sparkle Ninja27, Loslote, pinkdude64 and . You are all too wonderful for me!**

**And D- (since I can't message you) Thanks a bunch! All night? Really? I'm glad you liked it so much!**


	37. Chapter 37: Past and Present Birthdays

"The glow that the sun gives  
Right around sunset  
Helps me realize  
This is just a journey  
Drop your worries  
You are gonna turn out fine." Andy's Grammer's, "Keep Your Head Up"

Past and Present Birthdays

James sleepily stumbled out of his bedroom and walked into Lily's room, yawning. In the doorway, he stopped for a moment and smiled.

As the door creaked open, Alexander opened his eyes in alarm, and seeing it was only James, he put his head back to sleep.

Lily's vivid hair was flung about onto her pillowcase and greatly contrasted against the sheets. She was lying on her side, and there was a large, purring fur-ball curled next to her stomach.

When Lily was sleeping, her worry lines from N.E.W.T.'s, homework, graduation and classes disappeared, and James wished it would always stay that way. Unfortunately, he knew she would never be truly relaxed; there was always going to be a difficult Transfiguration essay, a test to study for, a Charms presentation to ready for, _and there would always going to be a war going on._

James sighed. He could only hope he could help with that essay and fight to end the war. But, this was quite depressing of a morning, so James shrugged the bad feelings away and headed for the bathroom for a quick shower.

After standing in the hot water for a few moments, James physically jumped as he realized what day it was.

How could he forget his own birthday?

He had no time to prepare himself! James thought to seven years prior, when the madness began…

_James and Sirius had been friends for less than a year, but they bonded so quickly, it could have seemed they've known each other since the diaper days._

_Their magic had not been at all impressive, but Sirius charmed James (while he was sleeping) so whenever anyone said "Happy birthday" to James, confetti would fly out around him, and even as a first-year, Sirius made it known it was James's birthday._

_Second year, Sirius and Remus charmed birds to whistle the Happy Birthday song every five minutes. It had been relatively tame that year, as Remus had been out the week before, due to his "mother's illness"._

_Then, there was their third year. James woke up to a silent, hoping for the best. Through-out the day, James only received normal birthday wishes from professors and classmates. That was, until the next day…_

_ Hundreds, if not thousands of portraits through-out the day wished James Potter "a very happy un-birthday". It was Peter's idea, which he got the idea from this Muggle fairy tale, called Alice in Wonderful-land, or something silly like that._

_ Fourth year, the Marauders were well known for their pranks and antics. With their reputation in full swing, they decided to just disappear for the day. They actually went to Hogsmeade for the day and spent a majority of it in the Three Broomsticks. They received the greatest of penalties, but it was worth it in their minds. That year had been James's favorite so far._

_ Fifth year, the Marauders charmed James's glasses to see everyone, professor and student alike, as birthday decorations. Some were balloons, some party hats and some noise-makers. It made it impossible to tell anyone apart, and James would've taken his glasses off for the day if he hadn't been so blind. The best he could do was not to crack a rib from keeping in laughter when Professor Slughorn walked in as a rather large piece of chocolate cake._

_ Then, sixth year, last year, all the portraits, tapestries, statues (even the knights) had James's grinning face instead the faces they saw normally. And as if seeing his face everywhere wasn't bad enough, they all smiled stupidly and said, "It's my birthday!" anytime a living soul passed._

This year, he had no idea to what was going to happen. It was pointless to predict Sirius Black. James was also more anxious due to the sleeping redhead. Lily was a brilliant witch who probably had something to do with his birthday festivities.

He tried to wash away the dread of the day ahead of him as he showered. When he stepped out, he felt refreshed. James walked back into Lily's room, where Alexander stretched and jumped off the bed with a thump at the sight of a showered James.

With the sudden loss of company, Lily cracked an eyelid and found James standing in the doorway. She broke out in a sleepy smile and mumbled, "Happy birthday, James."

James smiled and took it as an okay to enter in her room. He lightly kissed Lily's forehead.

"It's time to get up," James said, gently trying her to get up.

She groaned and tried to pull James onto her bed instead. Slightly surprised, James lost his balance and stumbled onto her bed.

"Much better," Lily said, going back sleep.

James chuckled, "I don't think Flitwick will be pleased if we're late to his class."

Lily huffed, "But, it's your birthday!"

"You don't have to get up if you tell me what's planned for today," James said hopefully.

Lily exhaled after a moments' pause, "I'm getting up."

.:.

About an hour later, Lily and James walked in the Great Hall, and James was extremely nervous.

There had been no magical confetti, singing portraits or pictures of James anywhere yet, but James had a lurking suspicion his presence would trigger something the moment he stepped in the Great Hall.

James took a dramatic breath and took a step, bracing for the worst.

But alas, nothing happened.

James looked at Lily in confusion, who only laughed in return.

"Concerned yet?" Lily asked with a sparkle in her eye.

James didn't try to hide it, "Yes, I am. Why hasn't anything happened yet?"

Lily shrugged nonchalantly, "I don't know about you, but I'm hungry." She dragged James over to the Gryffindor table, with the rest of their friends.

James looked uneasy when he saw the table. There was no confetti, singing birds or portraits because right on the table (James guessed it was on all the tables) was James's face everywhere. And he meant everywhere.

His face was carved into butter dishes, toasted into the bread, baked into the biscuits and even the froth on drinks magically shifted to outline of his face.

He was uneasy due to the attainability of this. It would have been manageable by their first year. This definitely could not be the only thing happening today.

"Are they going to start singing or something?" James asked wearily.

Sirius smiled, "They could, mate. They could."

The rest of the group mumbled their birthday wishes or clasped James's shoulder as he sat down on the bench.

James narrowed his eyes, "What's the catch?"

Remus smiled, "There is no catch, Prongs. Lily kept us tame this year."

James eyed a piece of bread, and before it could start singing, he shoved it in his mouth. Nothing weird came from the food in the morning, but James still felt something was off.

The majority of the group walked to Charms class, and when James stepped into the classroom, nothing spectacular happened. Professor Flitwick squeaked a birthday wish before beginning the lecture, but that had been it.

By the end of the classes of the day, James was on edge.

He received a fair amount of birthday wishes, and when lunch came, the food appeared with James's face again, but it was still a mediocre prank. He didn't trust his friends when they said nothing else was to happen.

When the desserts appeared after a lovely dinner of James's face continuing to be on the food, only birthday cakes with icing with either the outline of James's face or words with birthday wishes emerged.

Severus Snape could be seen moodily stabbing a particular red and gold cake. James finished the delicious cake but still had a nagging suspicion.

Eventually, when the cakes disappeared, the sparks began to fly.

**I could bore you with the amount of problems I've had, but I have to say that my laptop's mouse broke for about a month, then once that was fixed, enter key was broken for about two weeks. Go to my other fic if you want the full list of problems I've had. I know this is kind of a short chapter, but I have the next one (fully typed out, I swear) I'll post sometime tomorrow.**

**Thanks to: Scribbles In A Notebook, Loslote, wisegirlweasley, , commandingskipper23, Alleykat203, emandem, emandem x2?, Ellie Ng, Sparkle Ninja27, dementorskiss xoxo, Shivv, Victoria Gryffindor Peverell and the one reviewer who didn't leave a name!**


	38. Chapter 38: Neverending Moments

**A/N: Props to Victoria Gryffindor Peverell for giving me the idea of the dancing Slytherins! Thanks a bunch!**

"But I'm staring at you now  
There's no one else around  
I'm thinking you're the girl for me

I'm just saying it's fine by me  
If you never leave  
And? we can live like this forever  
It's fine by me." Andy Grammer's "Fine By Me"

Never-ending Moments

_Eventually, when the cakes disappeared, the sparks began to fly._

The sparks began to fly quite literally. Huge, golden and scarlet fireworks in the shapes of stars began to explode. When an annoyed Professor McGonagall tried to subdue them, they multiplied and letters started to form. The message appeared against the starry night ceiling: Happy Birthday, James! Love, the Marauders & Lily.

Professor Dumbledore discreetly cast a couple of his own spells, causing the fireworks to multiply.

James caught Professor Dumbledore's eye and Professor Dumbledore tactfully winked in response. His eyes were glittering along with his friends.

Lily whispered softly in his ear, "There's also party in the Common Room after this. Happy birthday, James." She kissed him on the cheek lightly.

James changed his favorite birthday from fourth year to this year. Even if the party isn't a hit (which Sirius Black would never let happen), he couldn't have had a better birthday.

The students were ushered out of the Great Hall due to the massive fireworks. Unfortunately for the professors, the rogue fireworks escaped the Great Hall and began to explode all over the castle.

The Gryffindors (and a couple from the houses) headed to the Gryffindor Tower with excitement in the air.

Half the students took the stairs up, while the other half took the stairs down. Unfortunately for the first couple of students, they stepped on the first step and seemed to be stuck. They alarmingly tried to pull their feet up, but to no avail. Their feet seemed to be stuck to the stairs due to a Sticking Charm.

James caught Remus's eye, and it was evident this was the beginning of yet another birthday treat.

While the commotion on the stairs continued, James heard someone screaming.

Straining his ear to hear better, he realized it wasn't screaming but singing. The crowd thinned out, trying to find the source of the noise, and James began to laugh manically.

In the center of the crowd, seventh year Slytherins (Snape, Nott, Avery, Travers and Lestrange) began to dance wildly, like some sort of Irish jig. Their feet nearly blurred at the speed of their dancing. As if the dance itself wasn't enough, they were singing "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow". Their faces showed pure confusion, anger, fear or a combination of all three. No one made a move to help the unfortunate Slytherins, and they continued their mad jig. After finishing the first song, they began to sing "Happy Birthday". The professors rushed out the Great Hall, seeming to give up on subduing the fireworks.

Professor McGonagall's eyebrows rose nearly by her eyebrows, and Professor Flitwick rushed over to try to get rid of the charm. He cast various spells on the dancing boys, but nothing made an effect on them, and their pants had suspiciously started to look like kilts.

"Get to bed, you lot!" Professor McGonagall demanded, trying to get attention, but no one could or wanted to move.

She then noticed the students stuck on the stairs and shot the Marauders her meanest glare possible. She casted a simple Unsticking Charm, which worked much to her relief.

The students slowly and unhappily started to file back to their dormitories. A group of mostly Gryffindors, some Hufflepuff and some Ravenclaws excitedly made their way to Gryffindor Tower.

When they arrived, music swelled around the room, and the decorations were wonderful, and there already had been a table full of food and drinks, even though they had just finished dinner.

An hour or so into the party, a table with presents from James's closest friends appeared. Sirius, Remus and Peter got tickets to few of the Quidditch games over the summer. Lily got him an enchanted snitch that could hide anything small enough to fit in it. One only had to say the same words as to open the map with. Marlene got him a book titled, Medieval Quidditch, and Alice and Frank got him a combination of the newest Zonko's products and array of chocolate from Honeyduke's.

As the night neared midnight, the younger years and some of the people from different houses headed to their dormitories. The firewhiskey began to make its appearance then.

Only the seventh years Gryffindors, Marlene McKinnon and John Corner remained once the clock read two A.M. At this time, everyone's memories (along with their judgment) began to fog and become sluggish.

John Corner was telling a story about a Quidditch game he saw the previous summer, when Sirius cut him off.

"Then the seeker grabs the beater's bat and began swinging it at-," John explained with wild motions.

"You know what, Corner?" Sirius slurred out.

"What, Black?"

"You're not a bad person. Just treat Mary well, okay?" Sirius clasped John's shoulder for emphasis (and because he started to lose balance).

"Thanks a lot, Black. You're not too bad yourself," John said, confused by Sirius's actions.

Sirius nodded and wandered off in search of more alcohol. Like he needed any more in the first place… Instead, he found Mary refilling her drink with alcohol herself.

"Can you?" Sirius asked, motioning for her to fill his glass up too.

Mary scrutinized Sirius's face, "I don't think you need any more firewhiskey, Black."

"Who are you, my mother?" Sirius said with a grin on his face.

"Why are you smiling at me, Black? Don't you think I'm a coward?" Mary asked a little sharply.

But Sirius couldn't tell anyways, "I don't know, but Corner's a good bloke. Have a bunch of babies in America, will ya?"

Mary looked at him in astonishment, "You are incredibly drunk, aren't you?"

Sirius nodded, "I don't think you needed to say that, Ms. McDonald."

She seemed to try to decide to do something or not. Taking one last look at his drunken expression, Mary leaned towards Sirius, smelling the alcohol on his breath. It was lack of a better word, intoxicating.

"So, you probably won't remember anything tomorrow morning?" Mary said softly.

Sirius, who was aware Mary's close proximity, said a little more clearly, "Probably not."

As he finished his sentence, Mary's lips were on his, and Sirius immediately responded with enthusiasm.

It took a few moments for Sirius to realize who he was kissing and what the problem was. When he did, he pulled away, "What d'you think you're doing, Mary?"

Mary took a step away from him, "I just wanted to do that one last time."

With that, Mary walked away, presumably back to her boyfriend, who was back to telling his story to Peter and Remus.

Sirius stood there, shocked at what happened. He watched Mary who was twirling her hair around her finger, listening to her boyfriend's story. Like nothing happened…

Anger swelled up in Sirius's chest, but he smothered it quickly. She was right, Mary was. He probably wouldn't remember it anyways. And it was James's birthday! How could he ever think to ruin it?

Lily and James were in a dark corner, not talking, but using their mouths for a different activity.

When they broke apart for air, James rested his forehead on hers.

"Merlin, Lily. What did I do to deserve you?"

Lily laughed, "I don't know. More importantly, what did I do?" She began to untangle herself, but James stopped her.

"And what do you think you're doing Ms. Evans?"

Lily looked at James, "I'm getting up, so we can go socialize. Is this how you really want to spend your birthday?"

James paused for a moment, pretending to think, "Yes, it is."

Lily smiled, "It's time to spend some time with your friends, James."

James, who was significantly intoxicated, needed help standing up. Lily hadn't drunk much yet. She didn't particularly like the sluggish feeling that came with alcohol.

Once James was steady on his face, he walked over to the group of his friends.

"There's the birthday boy!" Remus said, a little too loudly.

Marlene, who was sitting next to Remus, shushed Remus equally as loud, which told Lily she had too much to drink as well as everyone else in the room.

John Corner continued onto yet another "incredible" Quidditch story, oblivious he had more listeners, "So, so, then the Quaffle came, came out of nowhere! Just out of nowhere!"

Marlene sighed noisily.

"Then one of the, of the chasers, he caught the, the Quaffle!"

Marlene stood up a little quickly and almost lost her balance. Once she was steady, she began walking towards John.

"And when he, he caught the Quaffle, he, he started towards-," John continued his story. But Marlene had a different plan. She wobbled in front of his and smacked him across the face.

Instead of asking if John was all right, the group continued to laugh, and when John stood back up, he had a rather red handprint on his cheek. When he realized no one was worried about his well-being, he began to laugh along with them.

"No more Quidditch stories!" Marlene said, pointing her finger, somewhat sternly at him.

John put his hands up in surrender, "No more Quidditch stories."

The group continued to laugh. It was one of the moments when something is incredibly funny, and you can try to stop, but as soon as you slow your laughing, laughter becomes inevitable, and you fall to the floor laughing and clutching your stomach.

It was moments like these James wished he could stay in forever.

**My power went out last night as posting yesterday's chapter, and I thought I was going to have a heart attack. No worries though; it's back on now (obviously). A special thanks again to Victoria Gryffindor Peverell for the dancing Slytherins!**

**Thanks to: Sparkle Ninja27, pinkdude64, Loslote and Victoria Gryffindor Peverell!**


	39. Chapter 39: Recollections and Peaces

Recollections and Peaces

Sirius woke up the next morning with a throbbing head. He groaned and closed his eyes. After he decided to open his eyes again, he shielded them from the afternoon sun and glanced around his dormitory. All the other beds were empty and messy.

Sirius glanced at his watch on his arm and groaned again. He had no clue what time he went to bed, but it was already two o'clock in the afternoon.

He closed his eyes, trying to remember the events of last night. He clearly remembered up to when he gave James his birthday present, the Quidditch tickets. There was a lot of dancing and singing, and then the lower years headed to bed. There was even more dancing and singing (except it was most likely a lot less coordinated). Sirius remembered John telling thousands of Quidditch stories, and for some reason, he kept seeing Mary McDonald twirling a strand of hair around her finger.

He couldn't quite make sense of that yet. He sighed and sat up in his bed. After the sudden throbbing stopped, he got out of bed and took a long shower.

Feeling refreshed, he walked downstairs to find all of his friends sitting in the Common Room. James and Lily were sharing an armchair, being disgustingly cute as always. Remus and Marlene were sitting across from each other, doing homework. Sirius began to chuckle to himself. He remembered Marlene slapping John Corner across the face last night.

The chuckle accidently announced him to the room. Everyone turned to see him, and James began to clap.

"There's the champ!" he said with a huge grin on his face.

Sirius smiled and waved to the occupants of the room, and upon making eye contact with Mary, a memory flooded his mind.

He smile didn't falter though; he walked down the rest of the stairs and sat in the armchair across from Lily and James.

Causally, he asked, "So, er, what exactly happened last night?"

Lily and James looked after each other. "Nothing really," Lily said shrugging. "Marlene smacked Corner because he wouldn't shut up. But other than that, nothing extraordinary."

"I remember that," Sirius laughed. He paused for a moment, unsure whether or not to ask the next question. "What happened with me and Mary last night?"

Their eyes widened in synchronization. "What do you mean you and Mary?" James asked cautiously.

"Did you perhaps see me and Mary," he paused, "kissing, perchance?"

"Oh no you did not, Sirius Black!" Lily whispered harshly.

Sirius raised his arms in surrender, "I'm not the one who brought it on! I swear!"

James and Lily shared a look of astonishment.

"By the looks of your faces right now, I'm sure Mary hasn't said anything about it then?" Sirius said with his anger swelling.

When he went to stand up, Lily grabbed his wrist, "I don't think she remembers anything from last night either, Sirius."

"We'll see about that," Sirius said, his gaze set upon Mary and John sitting at table together.

Lily didn't let go of his wrist, "Sirius, I swear if you screw things up-."

Sirius shot her a horrible look, "She's the one who bloody kissed me! She's the one who screwed things up!"

The common room went quiet and looked at Sirius.

Sirius made eye contact with Mary, "McDonald, a word please?"

Mary looked confused but nodded nonetheless. John looked like he was going to protest but said nothing.

Sirius walked out of the common through the Fat Lady portrait. He walked straight into the unoccupied Transfiguration classroom. The faint footstep behind reassured Sirius that Mary wasn't spineless enough to try to run off.

Once both people were in the classroom, Sirius turned sharply to Mary.

"What kind of game do you think you're playing here, McDonald?" Sirius said harshly.

Mary tried to look offended but stuttered, "What are you ta-talking about, Black?"

Sirius replied only with a look of disbelief.

"I mean, I heard you in the common room saying someone kissed you, but that could not possibly be me, Black."

Sirius raised his eyebrows. "It couldn't possibly be you?" he echoed. Mary looked uncertain again and didn't answer, so Sirius continued, "What exactly do you remember from last night then?"

Mary looked up, "I remember John talking on and on about his Quidditch, and when the younger years went to bed, but everything else seems fuzzy or a dream."

Sirius narrowed his eyes and tried to find any deception, "You're lying."

Mary tried again, "I'm not! I specially remember-."

Sirius cut her off with your hand, "I can tell when people lie, McDonald."

Mary sighed, "Okay, I kind of remember kissing you last night. It seems more like a messed up dream than reality."

Sirius crossed his arms across his chest, "Why you do it?"

Mary shrugged, "I was thinking clearly quite obviously." She paused, unsure if she should say what she wanted to, "I miss you, Black."

When his face showed shock and disgust, she quickly added, "Not romantically, of course. I miss talking to you and being your friend." She laughed artificially, "Believe it or not, Black, but you're actually quite a fun person to be around. I miss hearing your crazy stories, a caring question thrown my way when I seem off."

Sirius didn't answer, so she kept talking, "I miss the clever comments to Lily because everyone else is too intimidated to. Those talks about such ridiculous things, like what McGonagall's favorite cat treat flavor is. I'm sorry about things had to turn out between us, Sirius. I really am." She added in a small voice, "Can you please say something?"

Sirius didn't say anything for awhile but then, "It doesn't have to be like that, y'know."

Mary fixed her eyes at Sirius, "You mean it?"

Sirius offered his hand to her, "Friends?"

Mary smiled and shook his hand, "Friends."

**A/N: I know it's been forever since I posted. I feel absolutely horrible about it. Truth is I'm not going to really have any extra time, which I know is depressing for those who like reading my story (and me too). I have all the rest of the chapters planned out, and I'm so excited to write them. I just need find the time to write them. I have the next chapter completely written out, and it should be up by the time you finish reading this chapter.**

**Thanks to:**

**I-Siriusly-Love-Black, dementorskissxoxo, pinkdudex64, Loslote, xxxPeacexxx, Scribbles In A Notebook, wink2dac, Sparkle Ninja27, I-will-marry-Sirius-Black!**


	40. Chapter 40: Memorable Marauders

Memorable Marauders

Sirius plopped on the bench in the Great Hall in-between James and Remus, "Mates, April first is in three days."

James looked at him in horror, "But we have no pranks planned yet!"

Sirius looked at James in equal terror, "I know, mate! We need an urgent Marauder's meeting, now!"

Remus sighed, "Can I at least-?"  
Sirius grabbed Remus's arm, "Nope! No time!" Holding onto Remus's arm, he bolted out of Great Hall.

Remus yelled out, "But Padfoot, my chocolate cake!"

Lily and Marlene, who had been sitting across James and Remus, started giggling.

"How goofy are our boyfriends?" Lily said turning to Marlene.

Marlene smiled but didn't reply.

Lily narrowed her eyebrows, "Is something wrong, Marlene? What's going on?"

Marlene shrugged, "I don't really know."

"That's a lie, Marlene. Come now; tell Auntie Lily what wrong," Lily said, smiling.

She sighed and whispered, "Remus told me."

Lily's eyes widened, "About his condition?"

Marlene nodded quickly, "I know it shouldn't control my feelings towards him, but I've been told by my parents throughout my childhood werewolves are horrible, dangerous creatures, and that they shouldn't be treated like us because they're not human. I really like Remus, Lily. Don't get me wrong on that. But I know for a fact my parents won't accept me dating him."

Lily sat in silence for a moment, "Well, I guess you have three options here."

Marlene looked at her sadly, "What options are those?"

"Well, one is to continue to date Remus and tell your parents, which probably wouldn't go well. Number two is to date Remus and don't tell your parents about his condition, but if they ever found out, it wouldn't go well either."

Marlene said quietly, "And number three is to break up with Remus, even if it means being miserable."

Lily sighed, "That would be option number three."

.:.

Lily walked into the Common Room slowly. Her conversation with Marlene completely deflated her mood. The common room was empty, except for Remus and James sitting in armchairs around the fire.

Remus noticed Lily's entrance, and he stood and offered her offered her his chair. Lily shook her head, but he insisted, "I'm leaving to go meet Marlene to study."

Before she could reply, James snaked his arm around her waist to pull her on top of his lap. Remus chuckled and said his good-byes to the couple.

After Remus left, James whispered huskily into Lily's ear, "What are you worrying about?"

Goose bumps covered her skin immediately, but she sighed, "Did you know Remus told Marlene about his condition?"

James shifted her, so she was sitting sideways across his lap, "Yeah actually. I heard she took it pretty well."

Lily agreed, "_She_ did, yes. She's terrified of her parents finding out though."

James frowned, "So what's she going to do?"

Lily shrugged, "I'm not sure. She doesn't want to, but she might break up with him." Lily rested her head onto his chest, "Remus is going to be heartbroken."

Lily heard James inhale and exhale, "I know, love. I know."

.:.

The next morning, the students of Hogwarts were awoken by exploding porridge, silverware with minds of their own and orange juice that made the drinker breathe fire for moments after drinking.

The students excitedly headed to their morning classes, anticipating the success for the rest of the day. Sirius was proud of himself to say the least. He was in charge of the morning festivities, and they had gone perfectly. James's charms were being set in place while everyone else ate breakfast, and he'd be able to join in on everyone's amusement walking through the corridors. Now only if he could find out what was wrong with Remus.

Instead of taking pleasure from the pranks, he moodily stabbed his chocolate chip pancakes. Marlene also ate with her Ravenclaw friends too, so Sirius guessed there were troubles afloat in paradise.

_Afloat,_ Sirius grinned to himself. _My puns make me laugh_.

The group stood to walk to their classes, and as soon as they stepped out, James appeared from nowhere, tucking his cloak into his pocket.

"Prepare to be amazed," he said simply. James grabbed Lily's hand, and they both headed to Charms.

It was moments like these when Sirius wished he could hold hands with someone. Not some face-less Hufflepuff, not some slag from Slytherin but an actual bird he had feelings for. He shrugged the feeling off and headed towards Charms, catching up to Remus.

"Moony, my man! How's life?"

Remus half smiled and sighed, "Fine."

"It doesn't seem fine. How's Mrs. Moony?" Sirius asked without thinking. He cringed at Marlene's nickname. It was not the time to say that.

"I'd prefer if you didn't call Marlene that right now, Sirius," Remus said sourly.

"Excuse the lack of tact, mate. Honestly, what's going on with you two?"

Remus sighed again. "I messed up. I told her I'm a," he motioned with hands, not needing to say the word "werewolf", "and she said it didn't change things."

"Well that's great news!" Sirius said, clapping Remus on his back.

Remus stared at him, "I'm not done yet, Padfoot. She _said_ she took it well, but her family, if they ever knew, wouldn't." He paused, "She said she wouldn't be able to lie to her family, so she broke things off."

Sirius, for once, was speechless. He simply said, "I'm so sorry, man."

Remus shrugged, "It was-."

He was cut off by a sudden loud noise exploding into the ears. A recording of a voice that sounded suspiciously like Severus Snape singing "You Charmed the Heart Right out of Me," by Celestina Warbeck. The serious conversation was immediately forgotten, and they began to laugh. As they turned another corridor, Snape's singing stopped, and students appeared to walk on the ceiling.

The rest of the day was filling with swamps instead of hallways, stairs with no gravity, and corridors where everything turned red. The left corridor on the fifth floor turned everyone and everything invisible.

Havoc and chaos lasted through the whole day, but the school was in great spirits at dinner. They all expected a grand finale from the Marauders.

The whole school sat in anticipation waiting for the climax of their day. They ate in peace; most of the school was on edge waiting for their mashed potatoes to start serenading or for their turkey to start dancing, but nothing happened.

Well, nothing happened until the desert plates appeared on the tables.

Fireworks, very similar to the same ones as the first day began exploding. Huge bursts of red, green, yellow and blue covered the enchanted ceiling of the Great Hall.

Students pointed to their favorites, and even Professor Dumbledore gestured to a bright red and gold spiral to Professor McGonagall, who of which was hiding a smile.

As the fireworks ended and the smoke cleared, students began to eat their desserts until one student began to point at the ceiling excitedly. Slowly, group by group, students began pointed to the enchanted ceiling.

Lily glanced at the ceiling to find the stars were re-arranged for this occasion. They read "Happy April Fools, Love the Marauders". And if that feat of magic wasn't incredible enough, the stars aligned to show a (crude but still impressive) picture of each Marauder. Lily, along with the rest of the school, was stunned.

The Marauders had definitely made themselves memorable now (as if they hadn't already).

**A/N: I feel even more horrible after reading how many reviews chapter 38 got. Okay, I promise I will finish this story by the end of the month. It's a huge stretch, I know. But I will! If not, you (as the reviewer) can decide some punishment for me. I only have five more chapters to write, which makes me really sad. Don't forget to check out my other story, Forever and a Day as well.**


	41. Chapter 41: Unwritten Future

Unwritten Future

The two Heads were doing their rounds in the unlit castle at the late hours of the day. As they neared toward the end of their shift, James whined, "Lily, do we need to go back to the Head's Rooms?"

Lily smiled, "What else is there to do, Mr. Potter?"

James stroked his non-existent beard, "Hm, what to do on a beautiful night like this?" He stroked his imaginary facial hair once again, "How about we go for a midnight stroll?"

Lily raised her eyebrows, "James Potter, it's almost midnight. What if we get caught?"

"Lily," James said with a twinkle in his eye, "what if we don't get caught?" She was about to retort, but he cut her off again, "C'mon, Lils. We have a little over two months left at Hogwarts, and we're Heads. Just for an hour?"

Lily sighed; she needed the break honestly, and James was right. Their career at Hogwarts was coming too close for Lily's liking, and it was near impossible to resist the glint in James's eye when he was this excited.

"Fine! But we're taking your invisibility cloak!" she reprimanded.

James saluted, eyes sparkling, "Yes m'am!"

He rushed through the Head portrait and came out a moment after holding a silvery cloak. After throwing it over both of them, Lily felt his warm breathe on the nape of her neck. Goosebumps erupted on her flesh, and James noticed.

"Are you cold? I can go run back in and grab my coat."  
"I'm fine," Lily said blushing. She didn't want to admit that just his breath had forced her to get goosebumps. She was glad she was in front of him, so he also couldn't see her blushing cheeks.

They slowly crept down the stairs to the door leading to the green houses, and once they were outside and to their favorite spot by the lake, they removed the cloak.

The warm spring breeze ruffled Lily's hair, and she smiled. The weather had really taken a turn for the best, and the stars in the sky were incredible. For once, no clouds could be seen from horizon to horizon.

She looked at James to see he was lying out a picnic blanket on the ground. "Where'd you get that?" she asked, sitting on it.

"Tranfigured it," he replied nonchalantly. He sat next to her and placed her head onto his chest. Lily could hear him breathe contently.

They both pointed out their favorite constellations every once in awhile. James pointed to the Draco constellation, "There's the snake one."

"That's one of your favorite ones?" Lily asked incredulously.

"Nah, but think about how ridiculous of a name that would be."

Lily pointed to Canis Major, "Well, there's your best friend."

James chuckled, "Of course he's named after the brightest star."

Lily laughed as well, "It _is_ fitting."

James's chest rumbled from laughing again, and then there was silence again.

Suddenly, Lily felt his heart begin to beat faster. She didn't understand what, but she kept silent, hoping James would talk.

After a couple of more silent moments, he did, "Lily?"

"Hm?"

"Well, uh, you know how much I, uh," he stammered. Lily smiled softly; on the rare occasions of James tripped over his words, Lily thought it was adorable.

"Er, you know how much I love you, right?" he said reaching for her hand.

Prior to this night, they had said "I love you" to each other, but it was always light hearted. This conversation, Lily believed was a little more serious.

"Of course, and you know how much I love you," Lily replied, intertwining their fingers.

Lily couldn't see his face, but she knew he was smiling, "But seriously, I don't think I could imagine being without you."

Lily suppressed the urge to make a Sirius joke, "Why would want to?"

James sighed, and it was evident he was becoming annoyed with her answers, "Lily, what are we doing?"  
"Watching the stars?" she tried, but she knew what answer he wanted.

"Lily," he pleaded.

She sighed, "What you're thinking is a better question, I think."

"Shooting star," James's arm extended to the western horizon. Lily waited for his answer, and after a few moments, he did, "I don't know what I'm thinking right now. I'm not really sure what I'm doing after we leave here quite yet. I don't know if I could be an Auror or be in the Order, but I want to end this war." He paused for a moment before continuing, "And I want you next to me."

It took Lily a few moments to soak in. "I want to be next to you, James."

James exhaled relieved, "I have something for you." He began to rummage through his pocket.

Lily's heart began to race. _This had better not be a ring…_ she thought to herself. James pulled out a blue velvet jewelry case, and Lily's suspicions intensified. He opened the box (very slowly Lily liked to think), and Lily had to hold herself from thanking Merlin outloud.

He pulled out a silver locket in the shape of an oval. It was goblin-made, she could tell. It was ingraved with beautiful flowers and vines, and Lily loved it.

"James, it's absolutely gorgeous," Lily said holding the locket preciously.

"Open it," James said smiling.

Lily popped open the locket gently, and inside there was a picture of the two of them sharing their favorite chair in the Gryffindor common room. Everyone once in awhile, the picture form of them would kiss then smile and wave at the camera. It was taken a couple of months ago by Remus.

Lily smiled, "Thank you, James. It's absolutely beautiful."

"I love you, Lily Evans."

"I love you too, James Potter."

In James's head, he wished he they'd have the same name. He was going to get her name engraved on the back of the locket, but at last minute, he decided against it. He hoped he would be able to get Lily Potter engraved instead.

**A/N: This chapter is short, I know. But I wanted to finish with a good number (45), so they're all going to kind of be short. I also kind of felt this was choppy as well, so I apologize for that too. The epilogue is going to be really long though, so keep looking forward to that!**

**Thanks to:**

**pinkdude64, I-Siriusly-Love-Black and I-will-marry-Sirius-Black for the reviews!**


	42. Chapter 42: NEWT's and a Phoenix

N.E.W.T.'s and a Phoenix

In the week prior to N.E.W.T.'s, Lily became a nightmare. She walked from classes to classes with her nose in a book, and if someone ran into her, she lectured the poor student until she was blue in the face. At mealtimes, she would read and eat at the same time. It happened more than once she began to cut the pages with a fork and knife while she stared at her turkey intently.

After dinner, she headed to the Head's Common Room to study. If James did as much as clear his throat or knock something else, he received a stern look from her. Most days, he would leave her to study while he meandered with the fellow Marauders.

Their time at Hogwarts was coming too close for their liking, but no one had time to think about it, as N.E.W.T.'s were eerily looming closer and closer.

As the rest of the group studied, no one else's tactics were as severe as Lily's. Everyone wished their N.E.W.T.'s would come faster, so normal Lily would come back. But as the week of the N.E.W.T.'s approached, they frantically read and memorized their books from the past two years.

On the morning of the first testing day, Herbology and Charms, everyone walked down to breakfast like zombies. Lily, of course, walked with her nose in a Herbology book. Conversation was brief and simple between everyone. As they finished their breakfast, they headed to Greenhouse 7.

After a grueling four hours, the Seventh Years walked out; all their minds frazzled and eyes blank. Except for one Sirius Black…

"Who feels better after that test?" he cried cheerfully. "No longer will we have to worry about Puffapods, Mandrakes and those creepy plants with venom and fangs!"

He looked around for any sign of agreement, but everyone continued to stare at him strangely. Sirius sighed and muttered to himself, "Debbie Downers…"

The castle remained to be bleak and gray for the remaining week. Fifth years and seventh years walked through the corridors like zombies. But after the last test on Friday, the castle burst in color and loud noises.

Parties exploded in every common room starting immediately after dinner and lasted much longer than curfew. As the seventh-year Gryffindors were relaxing and laughing the week off, an owl pecked on the window. Confused, Mary opened the window. The owl soared near the ceiling and dropped 7 identical letters in front of Lily, James, Sirius, Remus, Peter, Alice and Frank.

They opened their letters excitedly and found they had the same message written:

_Please join me and a couple of your other classmates in my office tomorrow afternoon at two._

_Sincerely,_

_Professor Dumbledore._

_P.S. I am quite fond of chocolate licorice._

Mary looked onto Alice's letter, slightly hurt. Why hadn't she received a letter along with the others? What was she not invited to?

The rest of the group excitedly compared their letters while Mary looked on enviously.

Sirius noticed Mary's absence of a letter and asked, "Where's your letter, Mary?"

"I haven't got one, I guess," she said shrugging her shoulders.

Lily looked at her sympathetically, and Alice spoke, "Maybe yours will come later, Mary. Don't worry about it."

But Mary did worry about it. She put aside her worries for the meanwhile though. Today was too wonderful to be ruined by a silly letter.

.:.

The following day, Saturday, the people who received letters arrived at Dumbledore's office at two.

As expected, James, Remus, Sirius, Peter, Lily, Alice and Frank were there, but also added to the mix were a couple of familiar faces.

"Marlene," Remus said offering his hand for a shake, "it's lovely to see you here."

She flushed slightly but nonetheless shook his hand, "Same to you, Remus."

Along with Marlene, Dorcas Meadowes, a seventh year from Ravenclaw, and Emmeline Vance, a seventh year from Hufflepuff, were waiting outside of Dumbledore's office.

"Why are we all waiting here?" Sirius asked.

"None of us actually know how to get into his office," Dorcas said angrily. "What could he possibly mean by he likes chocolate licorice?"

The Marauders looked at each other and burst into laughter, "That's the password!"

Dorcas looked offended by their laughter but laughed along as well.

"Chocolate licorice," Lily said smiling at the gargoyle.

The staircase appeared, and the group followed Lily up the stairs. She knocked on the door softly and heard Dumbledore say, "Enter."

Inside of the office were 10 comfy armchairs aligned in a circle around Dumbledore's desk. The Headmaster looked pleasantly around the circle. He looked genuinely happy as everyone took their places. Lily sat to his left, and James took the chair next to her. Sirius, of course, sat next to James, and Peter and Remus sat next. Marlene sat next to Remus; Alice and Frank took seats together next to her while Dorcas and Emmeline finished the circle.

After they were seated, Professor Dumbledore spoke, "I know you are all wondering why you are all gathered here." He clasped his own fingers and glanced around the room. "As you well know, we are in a war, a war against a man who calls himself Lord Voldemort." While some gasped, some did not. "Outside of these walls, I can no longer protect you from this war and its influences.

"You also might be wondering why I am behind a desk instead of in a circle with the rest of you. It is not because I am greater or wiser because as you will eventually come to know, I am not. It is because I am wearing mismatched socks." This brought smiles and giggles throughout the room and lightened the mood considerably. He continued, "The reason why I gathered you in here today is because throughout your seven years at Hogwarts, you have all, as individuals, shown me your true colors, which I believe will be helpful to an organization I have created."

James looked at Lily in excitement and squeezed her hand excitedly. Dumbledore chuckled at this, "Yes, this is my formal invitation to all of you to the Order of Phoenix. Now, I realize most of you aren't like Mr. Potter. The Order of the Phoenix is a secret organization in which I created to fight the war. I will not force you to it, and you will always have the option to back out if desired. You must know I cannot guarantee your safety out there. You will be asked to go on missions that may endanger your life. If you make an accident, there is a possibility it can end your life.

"But we work to end this war against Lord Voldemort. As his numbers are growing significantly, so are ours. If you shall join us, you will recognize some familiar faces from previous years and some from the Daily Prophet for the outstanding fight against Lord Voldemort and his group he calls the Death Eaters.

"You don't need to make your decision now. You can come and see me in an hour, or a week. You can send me a letter in a month or two from now. If you decline my offer, my feelings will be spared, and I wish you the best of the luck. Now are there any questions?"

Sirius raised his hand, and Dumbledore smiled and nodded towards him, "Professor? What exactly will we be doing if we join?"

Professor Dumbledore scratched his beard thoughtfully, "Missions for intelligence, missions for rescue and sometimes you will join us if a clash occurs."

Sirius nodded and kept silent. The professor looked around the room for anymore questions, but there were none.

"Feel free to go enjoy a walk outside, as the weather is lovely, and I wish you the best," Professor Dumbledore said.

They left without a word to each other.

**A/N: I'm pretty proud of myself. I just wrote this in a day. Are there any Percy Jackson fans out there? And if there are, did you Son of Neptune yet? In your review, leave me your reaction. I kind of wanted to throw my book at the wall…**

**Anyways, as always, thanks to:**

**Jg13145, I-will-marry-Sirius-Black, justarandomreader, I-Siriusly-Love-Black and percysis16 for reviewing.**

**TELL ME IF YOU HAVE READ SON OF NEPTUNE PEAS AND CARROTS.**


	43. Chapter 43: Tearful See You Later's

Tearful See You Later's

The group of Gryffindors who just walked out of Dumbledore's office slightly speechless headed to the Head's dormitory to talk in secrecy.

Once they walked in, James and Sirius made eye contact and spoke in unison, "I'm in."

Lily knew he was going to be absolutely sure about joining a second after Dumbledore invited him when they made eye contact, but she wanted him to think it through. "I know how much both of you want to fight, but be rational. At least sleep on it; you can tell Professor Dumbledore you've accepted then."

Sirius sighed, "Why'd you have to like someone so logical, Prongs? It gets annoying sometimes."

Lily rolled her eyes but smiled. She directed her next question to Alice and Frank, "What are you guys thinking?"  
"Well my mother would definitely disown me if she ever found out I turned down an invitation to the Order of the Phoenix, and besides that, I want to end this war just as equally as the rest of you," he said smiling, but he had a determined glint in his eyes. He grasped Alice's hand, "What about you, love?"  
"I was planning on being an Auror anyways," she said. "Why not add anything wonderful thing to my lovely, hectic life?"

A murmur of agreement when around the room, and Lily noticed Remus sitting in chair, deep in thought. She quietly sat next to him while the others asked a mumbling Peter what he planned on doing. "What's up, Remus?"

He snapped out of his deep thought and noticed Lily, "Nothing, just thinking."

"What are thinking about?" Lily said nonchalantly.

Remus sighed, "Why does Dumbledore want me in the Order? He knows my condition. The other side should want me."

"So what if they do?" she said defiantly. "Professor Dumbledore knows of your condition, and he still wants you. That's saying something, Remus." She finished her sentence softly, "You're a better person than most, Remus, being a werewolf or not."

Remus sighed and smiled genuinely, "Thanks, Lily."

.:.

Mary paced around her dormitory angrily. Someone had let it slip about Dumbledore's invitation.

_Why wasn't I invited? What did I do that was so horrible? How did Peter bleeding Pettigrew get invited above me? How did I offend Professor Dumbledore? I've gotten a couple of detentions over the years, but it's nothing compared to the Marauders…_

Deciding she didn't want to be left with her thoughts, she left her dormitory and began walking around aimlessly around the castle.

Eventually she found herself standing in front of Dumbledore's office. She debated entering in his office, and after a few moments, she decided she wanted answers.

_What was the password again?_ She racked her brains to remember the previous night… That's right.

"Chocolate licorice," she said to the statue.

A stairway appeared, and as she climbed up it, she wondered what she was really doing. She had no speech thought out; no real questions to ask, but she nonetheless knocked on the door.

"Come in, Ms. McDonald," a soft voice said from inside.

She opened the door slowly, "How did you know it was me, Professor?"

Professor Dumbledore chuckled, "A true magician never tells his secrets. Please have a seat." He gestured to a chair in front of his desk. She sat down but waited for him to speak first, but instead, Dumbledore simply looked at Mary. She felt like his eyes were searching through her soul and finding every little secret she has.

Mary cleared her throat, "Professor, may I ask you something?" He smiled and nodded. His eyes continued to penetrate through her thoughts.

"My friends received letters as invitations to the Order of the Phoenix, but I didn't. Is there a reason why, Professor?"

"Think, Ms. McDonald, what is it you plan on doing once you graduate Hogwarts?" Dumbledore said, choosing his words carefully.

Mary shrugged, "Me and John have talked about moving to America or Australia and finding jobs in their Ministries. I'd like to work in Muggle Relations, Professor."

The professor was quiet for a moment then, "Do you know what the Order is for, Ms. McDonald?"

Mary's temper flared up, but she settled it, "It's a secret organization to fight Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."

He nodded, "Where is Lord Voldemort's reign, Ms. McDonald?"

Her heart sank as the gears in her brain started to move, "You didn't invite me in the Order because I won't be in England?"

Professor Dumbledore rested his elbows on the desk, "That is one motive, Mary."

"Is there another, Professor?"

"I think you already know the answer to that, Ms. McDonald," he said with a twinkle in his eyes.

After a couple of moments, she spoke, "Yes, Professor." Even though she was not completely sure her thoughts were correct, but she sensed it was time to leave. She rose and walked to the door, "Thank you, Professor."

He smiled and nodded, "Until next time, Ms. McDonald.

.:.

James woke up Monday morning much earlier than any other seventh year. He walked quietly out of his dormitory to not wake Lily. He headed directly to Professor Dumbledore's office with a purpose.

He told the gargoyle the password and headed up the stairs to see the Headmaster. When his hand lifted to knock, the door opene; Professor Dumbledore waiting expectantly at his desk.

"Good morning, Mr. Potter," he said simply.

"Good morning, sir," James answered respectfully.

"What can I help you with at this early hour, Mr. Potter?"

James ran his fingers through his hair, as he did still when he was nervous, "I'm here to join the Order, Professor."

Professor Dumbledore chuckled, "Did Miss Evans tell you sleep on it?"

James smiled, "Er, yeah she did, and technically, I did sleep a couple of hours."

He smiled, "I guessed she was the reason why you and Mr. Black hadn't visited me earlier."

James smiled, "Her heart is in the right place."

"Indeed it is, Mr. Potter," he paused and cleared his throat. "I will be in contact with you a couple of weeks after graduation, and we will be having our first meeting for recruits in a couple of weeks as well," Professor Dumbledore said writing something on a piece of parchment as he talked. After he finished writing, he spoke, "Very well, Mr. Potter. Return to your dormitory to get some sleep I'm assuming you very much need."

James nodded, "Thank you, Professor." He stood up to leave when Professor Dumbledore spoke again.

"Mr. Potter, if you don't mind, have you and Miss Evans talked about after Hogwarts?"

James scratched the back of his neck nervously, "We have talked about it a little. She's moving in with her parents for a couple of weeks, and we're getting a flat together after that."

Professor Dumbledore chuckled, "That is excellent news, Mr. Potter. I shall be expecting a wedding announcement any day now."

James could have sworn Professor Dumbledore winked at the end of his sentence, but he was distracted. Did people really think they would get married soon?

The very thought of it made James feel all warm and fuzzy, but it also caused his hands to begin to sweat thinking about purposing to her.

He let the thought slide by for the moment and said good-bye to Professor Dumbledore, and he slowly walked back to his dormitory with marriage on his mind…

.:.

The Seventh-Years finished their N.E.W.T.'s a week earlier than the other years (apart from the Fifth-Years who took their O.W.L.'s the same week). They spent the week relaxing and being with friends. Over fifty percent of their time was spent outdoors.

They also spent the week saying good-bye to their beloved castle. As the week came to an end, more and more tears (from sadness and from laughter) were shed.

Lily decided to give her final good-bye presents to her teachers on Thursday, a day before graduation. She headed to her professors she had over the years first but wasn't very emotionally attached to them, like Professor Vector, Professor Sinistra, Professor Sprout and Professor Binns. Then came the difficult part…

She still Professor Flitwick, Professor McGonagall and Professor Slughorn yet to say good-bye too. She stopped by Professor McGonagall's office first, and Lily finally started to feel the sadness to kick in. She knew she would definitely see her strict, bun-wearing teacher out of Hogwarts quite often (she was in the Order), but a pang of sadness still hit her once she left her office.

Next, she stopped by Professor Flitwick's office. Charms was her favorite subject (no doubt), and Professor Flitwick was her most beloved teacher. He was one of those teacher that it was evident they cared, and they cared a great deal. Professor Flitwick often kept her after class when she looked too down or too under the weather, and they often chatted about things.

In fact, he was the first person, other than Severus, who she had told about her sister problems. One day in third year, she had come late to class, her eyes red and puffy and her spirit down. He called to her after class, and possibly because she was feeling like wreck and possibly his caring expression and voice, she told him everything that was happening to her sister, and Professor Flitwick continued to keep tabs on her through-out the years.

Through-out the years, she had come to adore Professor Flitwick more and more. Through his games, helpful rhymes and overall demeanor, Lily would be sure to miss him. Saying good-bye to him was slightly more difficult. She felt a lump and tears begin to form, but she suppressed them. She said good-bye shakily, and she could have sworn she heard a similar shakiness in his voice as well, and she turned before she could see the tears he tried to hide.  
She continued to walk down the stairs and wiped the tears that started to fall while she walked out of his office. She sighed shakily and continued on her path to the dungeons.

Maybe Professor Slughorn wasn't Hogwarts's favorite teacher, but Lily had come to adore as well him over the years. He took her under his wing after the first potion lesson in Lily's first year. Lily felt a lump form on the back of her throat as the cold air of the dungeons hit her.

_It's not a good-bye; it's a see you later,_ Lily reminded herself. She had kept reminding herself that all day to avoid tears.

She knocked on his office door lightly and opened it. Professor Slughorn was not in office, and Lily assumed he was in the teacher's lounge or in the kitchen getting some pineapple.

She rummaged through her bag and placed her present on his desk.

It was a glass bowl with water in it, and on the top was a lily. When Professor Slughorn saw the bowl, the lily would transform into a fish. She knew he would appreciate her creativity.

She began to walk out his office and looked around sadly. She would get to say good-bye to him at graduation, but it was still disheartening he wasn't in his office. She left quietly and made her way back to the Gryffindor Commons.

**A/N: Maybe it's because I'm a senior or one of my sports seasons are coming to a close or I don't want to think about graduation just yet, but this chapter was difficult to write. I found myself tearing up writing the good-bye's to the professors. **

**P.S. The epilogue is going to be after October because I really don't want to rush it, and I want to do a really good job with it. I hope you all understand, but remember, it's going to be really long and (hopefully) awesome.**

**P.P.S. This chapter is nearly 2,000 words; I hope you all enjoy it :)**

**Thanks again to:**

**loving-arizona, I-Siriusly-Love-Black, percyjackson, percysis16, jg13145, thegirlwithnoname, Saphy18, skaterofthebooks, nickibree, Sapphire-Rosethorne, dementorskissxoxo, pinkdude64 and ME for reviewing! I love every single one of you, and if you don't receive messages from me it's either because you're not signed in or you've blocked PM's.**

**Love and Cheers**


	44. Chapter 44: All Too Soon

All Too Soon

Lily sat nervously in her seat as students and parents were taking their seats. She glanced to James who was bantering with a fellow Ravenclaw. Once eye contact was made, he walked over to her and grabbed both of her hands.

"Love, it's just graduation," he said softly.

"What if I trip?" Lily said foolishly.

James chuckled, "I bet it'll get a great laugh from everyone."

Lily smiled but slapped him on the arm nonetheless. Suddenly, Professor Dumbledore's voice filled the outdoor space. He began to talk about how wonderful this class of students was, their endless opportunities and etc. Lily loved Professor Dumbledore, but today, she had no attention span. All the Heads of the Houses along with teachers from all subjects were sitting on the stage. Lily was glad to see Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick and Professor Slughorn, all of her favorite teachers sitting on the stage.

Today was the last day of finals, and all the younger years were inside, not allowed outside unless they were to watch the ceremony. There weren't many who wanted to, but some who were friends with or were related to a seventh years were there. Outside was filled with people magical and muggle alike.

Seven rows of golden chairs were placed in front of the stage, and numerous rows were placed behind for the parents. Both of Lily's parents were here and looked wondrously at the magnificent castle.

"You call this school? No wonder you were so keen to come back every fall," her father had said to her.

Petunia and Vernon were invited of course, but neither responded to the invitation, nor did either show up. Lily couldn't be bothered though; their remarks on everything under the sun would have ruined the day.

Mr. and Mrs. Potter also were sitting in back. When they arrived, they looked at the castle with nostalgia. They had attended Hogwarts back in the day, and it was also the place where they met and fell in love.

In the front, the students were sitting anxiously in alphabetical order. In the row in front of Lily, Sirius sat twiddling his thumbs. He turned around and glanced at Lily. He winked and turned back around. Lily grinned to herself and continued to glance down the row. John Corner was sitting a couple seats away searching for something in his pocket. Frank was rolling his eyes as his mother fixed his tie for what must have been over the tenth time today. Remus was sitting next to Frank with a small smile on his face. It was also apparent he was not paying any attention to anything going on around him. Mary was staring intently at the back of John's head whilst twirling her hair in between her fingers. She sighed glanced at Sirius who was too busy making the girl to his left giggle. Peter, Alice and James (Pettigrew, Prewett and Potter) were also sitting next to each other and laughing manically at something Lily had missed. James caught her eye again and smiled. He mouthed something like "don't jury", which was nonesense, but Lily could never read lips anyways.

She turned around in her chair to face the front again as Dumbledore finished his speech. He cleared his throat, "And now it is time to read each student, their house and accomplishments over the years."

The first couple of names slipped through Lily's attention span, and then Sirius stood up.

"Sirius Black the third, Gryffindor House and an outstanding student and prankster," Professor Dumbledore chuckled. Many students and a couple of parents began to laugh as well. "He also received four OWL's, and three NEWT's."

Lily smiled and heard Mr. and Mrs. Potter applauding wildly. They really had taken him as a second son.

All too soon, Lily heard her name being announced. "Lily Evans, Gryffindor House, and also awarded the prefect position as well as the Head Girl position. Ms. Evans received five OWL's and five NEWT's."

She walked up the stairs a little bit shakily and accepted her diploma from the Headmaster. She shook hands with all her teachers (a little sadly) and slowly made her way down the stairs carefully.

As she sat back down in her chair, she felt immense relief and sadness. It was officially over. She had graduated from Hogwarts.

She fought back pointless tears listening to all of her peers graduate as well. Remus walked across the stage proudly, but sadness could still be seen in his eyes as well. All too soon, her friends, one by one, walked across the stage and accepted their diploma as well. Once the last name was read off, Professor Dumbledore looked at the crowd and smiled.

"That ladies and gentlemen is the class of 1978!" he gestured at the students who in response threw their hats high into air. With a wave of Dumbledore's wand, the hats exploded into great golden fireworks.

.:.

The next morning, Lily scrambled around her room, double and triple checking every room to make sure she wasn't leaving anything behind.

James called out to her, "Lily-dear, it's time to go. We don't want to miss the boats!"

"The boats?" she asked popping her head out her room. "Why aren't we taking the thestrals?"

"We take the same boats like we did when we arrived here over seven years ago. It's a tradition. Are you nearly ready?" James said slightly impatiently.

"Yes," she said rolling his eyes. James opened the portrait door for her, and together, they slowly made their way through the castle.

James sighed, "There's so many wonderful memories here."

Lily smiled sadly, "I know, I know." She stroked her thumb on the inside of palm.

Sirius, Remus, Peter, Alice and Frank were all waiting in the Entrance Hall for Lily and James to come down.

"There's the lovebirds!" Sirius exclaimed.

All together, they made their way to the boats and saw Hagrid standing over the boats, "Two ter a boat! The boats ain't growin' like you!"

Once Hagrid saw their group, he smiled and wiped at his eyes, "I'm gonna miss you lot."

After hugging (or shaking hands, which was what all the boys did) Hagrid goodbye, they climbed into boats two at time (poor Peter was left to share a boat with himself). As the boats began to magically glide across the water, Lily vividly remembered when she was amazed the boats would travel magically across the water, over seven years ago. She had sat in the boat with Snape and Frank Longbottom. _Oh have things changed_, she thought to herself.

So much has changed. Some changes she welcomed with open arms, and others not so much. Some were particularly difficult, but seeing her life today, she saw the reason and good behind each one. Each change slowly developed to create the person she is.

And maybe so each change wasn't welcomed at first, but it was impossible to deny each one had affected her in a positive way eventually.

She turned around to see Hogwarts for the last time. The turrets, the courtyards, the greenhouses, just everything was breathtaking. She regretted the Sundays she spent just wasting time, the afternoons of studying when it wasn't necessary.

She wanted so badly to come back on these boats in a few months as first year, so she could completely re-experience Hogwarts. The illogical thought was swept out of her mind as she felt a warm hand slip into hers and knew it was James. As Hogwarts disappeared from view, she was content. She was of course going to miss Hogwarts, but there were bigger and (hopefully) better things waiting for her out in the real world.

.:.

The group sat in a compartment on the Hogwarts Express for the last time. On one side sat Lily, James and Sirius and the other Peter, Alice and Frank. Remus was sitting on the ground sitting Indian-style. Alice moments prior had simultaneously burst into tears, and they were frantically trying to find a way to cheer her up.

Sirius retorted to making faces at her as if she was a crying infant, which got a laugh from Lily at least. James was telling incredibly lame jokes, and Lily and Frank were rubbing her back soothingly.

"Shush, Al. It's okay," Lily kept insisting, but Alice continued to cry.

Lily knew she wasn't going to contain her own tears for very soon. She too barely kept herself from crying today, and once anyone else started crying, Lily knew it would be near impossible to not burst into tears herself. Already, she felt the lump at the back of her throat form, and tears were threatening to spill.

About one second after that thought, Lily was sitting on Alice's lap, crying with her.

Sirius muttered, "Bloody birds and their hormones." James punched him in the arm.

Remus sighed and stood up to walk to the girls. He crouched down close to them, almost like a teacher talking to a young student.

"Al and Lil, what are you so upset about? Your careers at Hogwarts are over, yes, but it's not the end," he said softly. "How about we go around and tell our favorite memories over the years? Do you want to do that?"

Alice and Lily nodded together, but Lily continued to sit on Alice's lap. Remus spoke up, "Sirius, how about you us start off? One of your favorite memories, go."

Sirius rubbed his stubble on his chin thoughtfully, "I think hands down, my favorite memory was in sixth year, in a cupboard with Delanie Smith-."

"Sirius Black!" Lily yelled; her tears already completely dried and forgotten. "That is highly inappropriate, and I'm sure no one wants to hear that!"

Sirius had a familiar glint in his eye and began to laugh manically, "Oh c'mon, Lils. She was fox!" Lily this time slapped his arm.

"Ouch!" he exclaimed holding arm tenderly. He held his hands out surrendering, "Okay, okay. In first year, James and I were earnestly trying to find our first class, Charms, but it was to no avail. We were pathetically lost, but I don't think either us minded.

"After about a half an hour of missing class, we decided to just walk around the castle. I remember James telling me his dad found dozens of secret passageways, and we made that our goal. We decided that day to become troublemakers and Marauders. Even though we only found one passageway when he pushed me into a tapestry, I think we've been best mates since then."

James grinned at the memory, "I think that was one of the more productive ditched classes."

Lily rolled her eyes, "It figure you guys ditched out on the first class on the first day."

"Oh come on, Miss Perfect. Tell us one of your favorite memories," Sirius said jabbing her in the ribs.

Lily began to laugh, "I think one of the best memories of this year was in the beginning of the year when you pushed me and James down the hill and then proceeded to fall down the hill as well."

The group began to laugh until their stomachs hurt. Maybe because they were overly stressed, slap happy, sad or a combination of all three, but as the group went around telling their favorite memories, everyone laughed incredibly way too hard. All too soon, the scarlet train pulled into Platform 9 3/4. As they got onto the platform, they saw all the other younger years hugging their peers and promising to write a letter everyday over the summer. It was what they did every year before this. They turned to each other all with sad little smiles on their faces.

Sirius grabbed everyone and yelled out, "Come here all!"

Everyone was brought into a combination of a bear hug and huddle. Sirius began to babble nonsense, and they began to laugh. Mary and John hopped onto the platform and saw the group in a bear hug and laughing. Mary smiled wistfully and intertwined her and John's hands.

Together, Mary and John walked into King's Cross to meet with John's parents. They had talked about their plans to move and decided to do move to America by the end of the summer. John had also secretly planned to propose to her before the summer as well.

As for the Gryffindors, they broke out of bear hug and began to hug each other. Lily and Alice started to tear up again, and even the boys' eyes seemed to be more watery than usual. With promises to see each other soon and write letters to keep in contact, they began to slowly leave the Platform 9 ¾.

Eventually, James and Lily were the ones left on the platform last. James snaked his arm around Lily and whispered into his ear, "It's not the last time we'll all be here together you know."

Lily looked at him confused, "What do you mean by that?"

James shrugged, "Well in about fifteen year's time, we'll be coming back here with our children. Alice and Frank will no doubt have children as well, and Sirius will find some bird and settle with her. Remus will finally meet someone who will get through his mind he's absolutely brilliant, and Peter will meet a bird who can cook as well as his mother."

Lily smiled and planted a kiss on his lips, "I love you, but how did I ever fall for you?"

James shrugged and put his arm around her, "You know what they say: love and reason are sworn enemies."

**A/N: Again with the insane amount of apologies, but I have had one of the worst months possible. One of my relatives have been diagnosed with cancer; another has to get surgery; I thought my dog had a tumor or bone cancer; I have been personally in and out of doctor's offices, and everything has been incredibly too tense to write anything that sounded good or even made sense. Words can't really describe how horrible I felt, but I didn't want to disappoint you with a horrid chapter either. Hopefully I'll have the epilogue before the end of the year. I'm estimating to be around 3,000 words or more, and I want it to be fantastic. It's going pretty much be a bunch of flashes of moments in the years after. If you have any ideas, leave it in a review!**

**P.S. Happy (belated) Thanksgiving to Americans! My mom made me vegetarian stuffing, and it was fantastic.**

**P.P.S. My goal was to get 250 reviews, and now I have 252. An earnest thanks goes out to all of you!**

**And always, thanks to:**

**skaterofthebooks, Saphy18, jg13145, xjustarandomreaderx, I-Siriusly-Love-Black, CinziaTwut, wink2dac, dementorskiss xoxo, Sparkle Ninja27**

**One more thing: I want all of you to know that I will not abandon a story, ever. I might disappear for awhile, but I will never give up on story. It's just not something I can see myself doing.**


	45. Chapter 45: Epilogue

Epilogue

"Never regret something that has made you smile."

Lily flushed the toilet, disgusted with the reappearance of her lunch yet again. The stomach bug she's been battling has been a tough one, and she would need a visit to St. Mungo's if it didn't get any better soon.

She exited the bathroom and entered the living room. James grimaced at her expression, "Feel any better now?"

Lily shook her head miserably and sat on his lap, "Why couldn't you have gotten this stupid sickness?"

James shook his head, "I don't know, love. What could have you eaten that I didn't?"

She shrugged, "I don't know."

The married couple was silent enjoying the serene snow falling gracefully onto the ground. James was trying to come up with a solution when an owl pecked at the window. Lily opened the window, and the couple realized the owl belonged to Alice and Frank Longbottom. Lily quickly detached the letter and unfolded it while James read over her shoulder.

"Alice and Frank are having a baby!" Lily exclaimed with pure joy in her eyes.

James smiled, "I know! That's fantastic!"

Lily continued to stare at the letter even after she finished reading it. "James," she said cautiously.

"What?" he said distractedly.

"I think I know the reason for my stomach sickness," she said with panic evident in her voice.

"What?" he said now concerned as well. But Lily didn't answer. She pulled a charms book out of the bookshelf and began to flip through the pages rapidly.

"What's going on, Lily?" he asked again worried.

She still didn't answer, and once she found the page she was looking for, she directed her wand towards her belly and said, "_Aperio infan_."

The charm was an apparent success as Lily's abdomen glowed golden, but it didn't calm Lily. Instead, it seemed to have an opposite effect and worried her more.

"What was that charm, and why did your stomach glow?" James said seriously concerned now.

She looked up at him, visibly shaken, "We're having a baby."

.:.

Mary and John Corner were sipping their tea one morning when their one-year-old child, Michael Corner, began crying and wailing. He was born with similar looks to his mother, but in demeanor, their son was parallel to John. They agreed to have a child once they moved and settled in America. John cleared his throat, "I'll go and get him."

"Thank you," Mary said as she continued eating. The delivery owl swooped in and dropped the morning Daily Prophet off as John re-entered the room. Even though they lived on a different continent, it was nice to know what was going on back home, even if the news was morbid. They had learned of Marlene's death, the Longbottoms' capture and insanity and countless other witches and wizards were reported missing or dead whose names were familiar.

But on this day, November 1, 1981, the headlines blared across the front page. Mary dropped in shock. Lily and James were dead? Voldemort died too? Lily and James had a son? The son survived? Sirius Black was the reason for the attack?

There were millions of questions of swirling around in Mary's head. The son of Lily and James, Harry Potter, was the Chosen One? The boy who lived? Sirius was on the other side now?

A pang of sadness hit her, John rubbed her shoulders consolingly. She turned to him tearfully, "We need to go back home. We never should have left."

.:.

Sirius looked around the room with a daze. The room was foggy and misty for some reason, but he couldn't be bothered why. He was much too preoccupied with the two people sitting at the table. He hadn't seen in them years.

It was James and Lily Potter sitting at a table together, and James motioned him over quickly. In the back of his mind, Sirius knew something was wrong, but he pushed it away. He was glad to see his best friends.

"Padfoot! How's it going?" James said as Sirius sat down.

"Good," he said, but for some reason, he was still uneasy.

"We missed you, Sirius," Lily said, placing her hand on top of his. "Tell us how you've been."

Sirius shrugged, "It's been better, Lils."

With a sudden realization, Sirius realized what was wrong. He was asleep, and Lily and James were dead. They've been dead for years now. He felt himself waking up, and he began to panic. He didn't want to lose them, not again. He reached out to Lily and James, but their fingers turned into wisps.

He desperately called out, "No! Don't leave me again!"

They continued to disappear into the fog, but James yelled out, "We never will!"

Lily added on, "We'll always be in your heart!"

Sirius woke with a start and tears covering his face. Why couldn't it ever be more than a dream? Not one day, one hour or even one minute passed by Sirius didn't miss his best friends.

.:.

Mary, John and their son Michael walked through King's Cross. It was Michael's first year at Hogwarts, and it was evident he was nervous. He looked around nervously at the passing Muggles and moving trains.

Once they arrived at Platform 9 ¾, Michael eyed the brick wall nervously, "Are you sure I'll be able to run through?"

Mary smiled, "Of course you will." In front of them, a large group of redheads and one young boy whose looks were eerily familiar passed through to the platform single-filed. "See, Michael? You'll be okay."

But Mary's was wandering away from her son's worries and towards the young boy who looked familiar. He had to be around Michael's age by the looks of him, and Mary had a sinking suspicion to who the boy could be.

Harry Potter disappeared from the magical world to unknown relatives, but it didn't make sense to Mary. The only living relatives could be Lily's sister, who hated everything magical. It made no sense whatsoever for the boy who saved the wizarding world to go into Muggle society.

Sure enough, as the Corner family entered onto the platform, Mary was able to get a look at him. It was a spitting image of her old, lost friend James Potter, but the eyes… They belonged to Lily…

Mary felt a lump form in the back of her throat and tears threatened to fall. Michael looked at his mother and grabbed her hand, "It's okay. I'll write you a letter as soon as I get there!"

Mary smiled at her son, "I'll wait for it!" She hugged her son while John put his luggage onto the train. Michael bounded onto the train excitedly and waved good-bye to Mary and John.

"It's the Lily's son. He looks exactly like James did," Mary explained.

John replied, "I know. It's uncanny how much they look alike. Have you seen the Longbottom's child?" He gestured to a young boy who also looked like a first year as he struggled to handle the toad who was trying to escape his grasp.

It was no doubt the child of Alice and Frank Longbottom. He had the nose and eyes of Frank and the lips of Alice. She felt the lump reform and tears again threaten to spill over.

She never should have left. Sure, she was happy with John and Michael, but she didn't spend a day where she regretted missing the fighting in the war alongside her best friends. The same best friends who were all dead now… Except for Sirius Black locked in Azkaban and Remus Lupin, who seemed to disappear off the face of the Earth.

Mary again desperately wished she had never left. Yes, there was a chance of her death, but it would've been better. She could've died with her friends rather than run away like a coward. But leaving was her choice, and she would have to live with it.

She now understood the saying, "Live without regrets." But it was a little too late for her.

**A/N: I couldn't believe the amount of support of reader's for my last chapter, and I know this epilogue is extremely late, but as a high school senior, I've had my plate full, and besides, all these scenes are years or decades later, so maybe it's better if you read them later. I love each and every one of you, and I'm a little sad this is finally ending, but don't worry! I have a second story going now! It's called Forever and a Day, so go check it out :)**

**Cheers and happy reading :)**

**As always, my eternal thanks to: **

**I-Siriusly-Love-Black, xjustarandomreaderx, skaterofthebooks, CinziaTwut, percysis16, wink2dac, Saphy18, ., Sparkle_Ninja27, Cat-Rex, Paigeeykins, HPlilybethPJ and dementorskiss xoxo**

**Also, thanks to everyone who has ever reviewed or favorited/alerted this story as well :) All of you make me smile.**

**P.S. I'd like to a last thank-you to a girl who actually inspired me to write. She was absolutely hilarious in her stories, and when I reviewed them, she told me to write one myself, and surprisingly, I did, this story actually. I don't think you've read anything of mine or even wrote anything in the past year, but you were the person to inspire me to write anything in the first place. So just thanks. I owe this story to you.**


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